Personnel from the agriculture ministry’s environment department, members of the civil servants’ union Pasydy, will stage a two-hour protest on Friday between 9pm and 11pm.

The protest rally will be held outside the House of Representatives where the environment committee will be holding a session on the risk, health, and safety aspects of recyclable tyre storage areas.

“The decision to take action is a one-way street…personnel are called to cope with a disproportionate and ever-increasing workload and are currently tragically understaffed in relation to the number and scope of responsibilities assigned to them,” they said in a press release said.

“In the last 20 years several studies have been produced by both the State and the European Commission precisely on the staffing and operation of the Department of the Environment and particularly regarding audit issues…No implementation of these suggestions has taken place to this day,” the press release added.

It further pointed out that there is constant anxiety and concern on behalf of the department’s employees in relation to the criticism levelled against the department.

“Citizens and society at large do not have information regarding the efforts and worries of the departments workers notwithstanding the efforts and sacrifices they make in order to carry out their work,” it said.

“A good example is the fire that took place on June 11, during which workers from the department found themselves targets of hasty criticism without there having been an understanding of the situation,” they added.

The fire was caused by a mechanical failure of a tyre shredder during the units’ daily routine operations.