Two major unions and a growing number of police officers seek to challenge plans by the force to drastically reduce annual days off work.
In a joint statement, trade union Pasydy and the Cyprus police association (Sek) said recent circulations suggesting a cut the police’s days off from 19 down to 5 by next January had caused “internal strife”.
They stressed that rest days are a protected labour right, which were vehemently fought for during negotiations in 2021.
Pasydy, in their statement issued on Friday, remarked that days off “cannot be separated from the broader structure of the police force”.
The unions highlighted the importance of adequate rest for maintaining operational readiness, warning that any unilateral attempt to weaken the institution “will not be accepted”.
They called on the chief of police to convene an immediate meeting to clarify the leadership’s intentions, saying recent rumours and inconsistencies have already created a climate of disruption.
Separate but parallel objections were issued by the police branch of the union Isotita, which accused the leadership of a “direct violation of established rights”.
The union said the change would add 15 working days per calendar year for the 1,800 affected officers, most of whom already serve 12-hour shifts.
Under the proposed system, shifts would be shortened by one hour, at the loss of a respective day off.
Isotita warned this would leave a gap in security coverage nationwide and could compromise public safety.
It also estimated that frontline officers would lose around €1,000 annually in income, while those in administrative roles or guarding politicians would face no impact.
The union said the move violates the principle of social rights and cannot be justified by a crisis of understaffing.
It added that shifting the burden of chronic staff shortages onto frontline officers breaches the principle of equal treatment and risks creating a force with uneven workloads and preferential treatment for certain departments.
Isotita confirmed it is prepared to pursue legal action and has already raised the issue with superiors in the European police union, EuroCOP.
Tensions escalated further after the president of Isotita’s police branch, Nikos Loizides, issued a stark warning over what he described as “mathematical scheming” surrounding overtime calculations.
During an intense interview with SigmaTV on Friday, he said a report examining officers’ working hours had distorted reality and misled the chief.
He recalled that the 19 annual rest days were secured in 2021 after decades of negotiations due to officers working more weekly hours than other public sector employees, particularly those serving rotating shifts.
Loizides argued that the issue is being raised at the worst possible time, with a new justice minister at the helm and the force facing major operational challenges.
He said the ministry’s intervention will be decisive and accused some within the leadership of acting out of fear of the auditor general’s reports.
The documents suggest the force experienced tens of thousands of unpaid work hours with 71,000 in 2025.
“If they are afraid of this, let’s solve it properly. Not by taking away our rights,” he said.
He also criticised attempts to gather officers’ views “through the back door” of reports without involving the unions.
Loizides described a state of incompetence within senior ranks, as the reduction of days off were confirmed, then withdrawn and now revived.
“They do not know what the hell want,” he dismayed.
Citing severe understaffing, he remarked that around 1,000 calls reach police headquarters daily and are answered by only ten officers nationwide.
He also alleged offensive behaviour from an undisclosed senior officer who “insults police officers daily” over their hours and pay, warning he would escalate the matter to the justice minister.
Loizides said “very difficult days are coming” for the force, promising that the union will act as “both shield and spear” for officers on the front line.
