Bus drivers in Larnaca will return to work on August 9, ending a ten-day strike that disrupted public transport services across the city.

The decision followed a morning vote in a general assembly of Larnaca public transport drivers, where workers accepted a new mediation proposal from the labour ministry. The agreement was reached after a lengthy meeting on Thursday between Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou and union representatives from Peo, Sek, and Deok.

Ministry officials provided clarifications on disputed issues, including how timetable cards will be reviewed and implemented under the existing collective agreement.

Under the new terms, any objections about route card functionality will be examined by the relevant ministries, and changes will not take effect until formally assessed.

The deal also brings forward the timetable for joint reviews of breaks and route schedules to the final ten days of each month. Importantly for drivers, the agreement secures the one-hour break that had been contested by the company.

It also ensures overtime pay from the first minute worked beyond 7 hours and 36 minutes and guarantees that all breaks will be recorded on route cards, which the company must pay for.

Unions said the strike was lifted to give the company time to implement the ministry’s proposal. They thanked the minister and the director of the department of labour relations for their intervention.

The ministry will continue monitoring the situation to ensure the agreement and the full collective contract are upheld.

Union leaders apologised to passengers for the inconvenience caused during the strike, stressing that improving public transport must go hand in hand with safeguarding workers’ rights.

This resolution ends a dispute that had halted Larnaca’s bus network for more than a week, but talks will continue to address any outstanding issues under official supervision.