At least once during a term in office, a president addresses the annual congress of the public servants’ union, Pasydy. The address invariably panders to the public employees, and more emphatically if the president is seeking re-election.

President Christodoulides honoured this noble tradition on Tuesday, not only because he will be seeking re-election, but also because he was a public employee himself until 2018 and is a beneficiary of one of the most ludicrous benefits offered to members of this privileged class of workers – a state pension from the age of 45. His wife remains a civil servant at the foreign ministry.

He lavishly praised the civil service for being the driver during difficult times, such as after the Turkish invasion in 1974, during the EU presidency in 2012, in the handling of the 2013 haircut and through the Covid-19 pandemic. These are always brought up by presidents when talking about civil servants, as if doing the jobs they are very generously paid to do is a big personal sacrifice, for which they deserve presidential praise.

Then again, Pasydy’s membership can swing an election, which explains why the entire political leadership dutifully attends its annual congress. It is also the reason why this privileged group of workers has all its demands satisfied by government, supported by all the parties. Meanwhile, any attempt made by government to improve the lousy service provided by the public sector to residents is opposed by Pasydy – for decades it prevented proper worker evaluations.

But the privileges keep coming. On Tuesday Christodoulides said the government was preparing a series of reforms, such as reduced working hours for parents and carers and the need for a better work-life balance. Flexible working hours would be extended to two hours, while working from home would also be introduced.

What would the employer and the paying public get in exchange for making the working life of civil servants even more comfortable. A more efficient and prompt service, improved productivity, less red tape? The president spoke generally about digitalisation, a better service through the use of technology and communication and reduction of bureaucracy, without saying how this would happen. As always, more benefits will be offered to the civil servants and the service they offer will remain as bad as it has always been.

Government might make the right sounds but in the end they will do nothing to upset the civil servants. This government increased CoLA from 50 to 67 per cent of the cost-of-living index, followed by an across-the-board pay rise, without seeking any concession from Pasydy that would improve the civil service’s productivity. On Tuesday the Pasydy general secretary Stratis Mattheou, not only vetoed all proposals submitted to the government by the IMF for bringing the public payroll under control, he also demanded that CoLA was increased to 100 per cent of the cost-of-living index.

Pasydy’s sense of entitlement has no limits, but the politicians are exclusively to blame.