English School teachers remain on strike as two sides stand ground

Members of the English School staff union (ESSA) continued their indefinite work stoppage on Tuesday amid widespread support from unions, political parties and school graduates.

However, the Employers and Industrialists Federation (Oev) said that the argument has deviated from its original purpose as the two sides are fighting over different things.

Tensions rose last week between the staff and the school’s board of management after the suspension of ESSA’s chair for allegedly using the school system to send unauthorised correspondence to parents, which led to an impromptu work stoppage for two periods on Thursday and resumed from 10am on Monday.

ESSA had originally planned Tuesday’s stoppage over a number of disagreements with the board regarding teachers’ contracts and changes to the timetable, with either side accusing the other of refusing to cooperate on solutions.

In a letter last week, board chair Charalambos Josephides had informed parents the board was planning to take measures to address the planned stoppage, which they called “unwarranted” and “regrettable”.

Two days later, the union sent a response through the school’s official emailing system, citing “uncertainties” in Josephides’ letter to parents.

The email used the same format and letterhead as official school correspondence, which may have initially led parents to believe it was sent by the school directly instead of a union representative.

However, it was sent by ESSA chair Myrto Hassapopoulou in an attempt to directly address the board’s claims and explain the proposed strike action.

On Thursday morning, ESSA issued a statement saying the board ruled Hassapopoulou’s move as grounds for suspension, alleging a personal data breach on her part.

The union therefore announced an impromptu stoppage, saying that the board’s decision to suspend a union representative “is a violation to the constitutional right to unionise”.

The stoppage on Thursday was met with support from unions and MPs, who voiced their support for the union and asked the government to intervene.

In an open letter circulated on social media over the weekend, former English School students said that “If the school board is worried about the school’s reputation, they should stop bullying their staff and treat them with respect”.

Teachers’ unions Pasydy, Oelmek, Poed and Oltek released a joint statement on Tuesday to reaffirm their support for ESSA and “condemn the school’s authoritarian and undemocratic behaviour”.

The American Academy Larnaca teachers’ union also published a statement in similar tones.

Meanwhile, the Pancyprian Federation of Independent Trade Unions (Poaso) released a statement in support of the right to strike, “a right that the will of any management or organisation – especially if that belongs to the state – cannot sever, and one that cannot be exercised in any workplace under threat or intimidation”.

But according to Oev, the two sides are now arguing over different things – with the union defending their right to unionise and the board trying to make an objective decision.

Spokesperson Lena Panayiotou told the Cyprus Mail that the school has launched an investigation into Hassapopoulou, not to quash union action, “as the union claims,” but to determine whether she committed a criminal offence.

She reminded that the labour ministry had called last week’s impromptu stoppage “irregular” and in breach of the industrial relations code, adding that it was not the first time the ministry had to intervene in arguments between the board and ESSA.

The school board’s secretary told the Cyprus Mail it would not be commenting on the matter until further notice, and similarly Oev said it would not be making any official statements until the investigation was complete.

“What it comes down to is that nobody is above the law,” Panayiotou said. “Union action, and the right to exercise it, is not the issue here, but rather whether an offence was committed – which is why this is a matter that should be handled objectively and delicately”.