Isotita trade union on Monday reported a “direct attempt to silence and intimidate” a Game Fund employee and called on the service to retract instructions to begin an administrative investigation against him.

In an open letter to head of the Game Fund Pantelis Hadjiyerou, Isotita said it was “with surprise and grave concern” that it heard of a letter by Hadjiyerou ordering a senior staff member to investigate remarks on Rik TV on February 13.

Isotita said the action against Game Fund union representative Apostolos Mouzouras for statements in his trade unionist capacity “reveals a dangerous misunderstanding of the current legal framework and constitutes a direct attempt to silence and intimidate”.

“So, instead of the administration and the employer’s side consuming time on a witch hunt and the attempt to demonstrate authority against those who highlight the problems, one would expect them to focus on the essence of what our union is denouncing,” Isotita said.

Isotita called on Hadjiyerou to respect trade union roles and rights, and to immediately retract the order for an investigation.