The trade unions of the Cyprus broadcasting corporation (CyBC) have announced planned strike actions starting February 18, unless the long-standing pension dispute is resolved. The unions are demanding immediate action, warning of escalating measures until a final resolution is reached.

In their statement, the unions expressed frustration over unfulfilled commitments. They claim that, despite assurances from President Nikos Christodoulides, no concrete action has been taken, leaving retired employees without their rightful pensions.

“The issue of pension payments to eligible retired employees of CyBC has been unresolved for two years,” the statement read.

“Despite continuous efforts, the state and CyBC have failed to grant these employees their legally defined pension rights.”

The unions emphasised that they have engaged with all relevant authorities to prevent any employees from being victimised. During a visit to CyBC last year, President Christodoulides publicly stated that the matter would be addressed. Later, in an interview with CyBC, he declared the issue was resolved. However, the unions argue that no resolution has been implemented.

The unions highlighted the main challenge: the lack of pre-2003 salary records for many permanent employees due to CyBC’s failure to maintain proper documentation. To address this, CyBC and the unions sought expert assistance from an actuarial firm, which proposed a reliable methodology to reconstruct missing salary data. This approach, with a reported 95 per cent accuracy, was publicly endorsed by the minister of finance on December 19, 2024.

On the same day, a retired CyBC employee protested outside the pension fund offices, demanding her overdue pension benefits. Following this, both the minister of finance and the minister of interior pledged to resolve the matter immediately. A conference call was held with the CyBC directorate, involving the accountant general, where requested data was promptly provided.

Since then, some partial payments have been made to retirees from 2023 onwards. However, these payments do not account for years of service before 2003, leaving many employees short-changed.

General accountant Andreas Antoniadis has responded to the unions’ announcement, clarifying that data sent by the pension fund management, based on the actuarial firm’s methodology, could not be accepted for pension calculations. According to Antoniadis, the methodology does not reflect actual salaries but theoretical figures, making it incompatible with existing legislation.

In a written statement, Antoniadis stressed that the general accounting department has already processed pension benefits for employees where actual salary data was provided. He also noted that an electronic communication sent to the CyBC directorate on February 6 reaffirmed his earlier correspondence from October 23, 2024. This communication indicated that if actual salary data for earlier periods becomes available, adjustments to gratuities and pensions could be made.

However, in two specific cases where retired employees provided new evidence of actual salaries, the general accounting department has confirmed it will proceed with pension benefit adjustments.

The unions further pointed out that, during a parliamentary session on January 23, they were once again assured by government officials that a solution would be implemented without delay. However, no tangible progress has been made, leading to mounting frustration.

“We must express our strong dissatisfaction,” the unions stated.

“The government has failed to honour its public promises. Despite commitments from the president and the relevant ministers, no action has been taken.”

They argue that the affected employees bear no responsibility for CyBC’s administrative shortcomings, and the social insurance fund’s failures should not penalise workers who have diligently paid their contributions.

The unions are urging the government to move beyond mere promises and take decisive action to resolve the issue. They stress that the problem does not only affect current retirees but will also impact future employees upon their retirement.

Details of the planned strike measures set for February 18 will be announced in due course, with union leaders warning that they will not back down until justice is served.