The 24-hour strike of social workers objecting to the deputy welfare ministry’s decision to “arbitrarily” assign them duties belonging to the department for social integration was successful, therefore no further work stoppages are planned, Isotitasaid on Monday evening.

“Today’s 24-hour strike is considered successful and at this stage, we will not proceed with further measures,” the union said.

According to Isotita, the proposal of Social Welfare Deputy Minister Marilena Evangelou, to “arbitrarily” assign them duties belonging to the department for the social integration of people with disabilities has been put on hold to facilitate dialogue.

“Only with the contribution of all of us, do we have the power to be heard and to demand better and more qualitative working conditions, with a view to serving vulnerable groups of our fellow citizens,” the union concluded.

Dozens of striking social workers, demanding the immediate retraction of the decision, gathered at 10am outside the deputy welfare ministry to protest the decision, warning of stronger measures if there was no response.

The deputy minister initially responded that she believed the strike to be unnecessary, adding that transferring the duties was her own political decision.

Representatives of the workers said the decision to transfer the duties had been taken “unilaterally” and had been accompanied by the threat of disciplinary measures.

Pasydy representative Constantinos Kambourakos made it clear that the protest was not against people with disabilities or their support programmes, but against the erroneous and rushed transfer of responsibilities without a prior dialogue.

Kambourakos said the deputy ministry’s permanent secretary had used “all means of intimidation against the workers, even disobeying the instructions of the deputy minister herself”.

The employees had requested assurances in writing that they would not be subjected to disciplinary measures, however they never received them, Kambourakos added.