The State Health Services Organization (OKYPY) and the labor unions are close to finalizing the text of the Collective Bargaining Agreement for the years 2026–2027, following a meeting held on Tuesday at the Agency’s offices, with the aim of signing the Agreement before the end of November.
In statements to KYPE, representatives of the SEK, PEO, and DEOK unions expressed optimism regarding the outcome of the negotiations, noting that agreement has been reached on the key issues and that only a few clarifications and amendments remain in the final text, which is expected to be sent in writing by OKYPY in the coming days.
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The General Secretary of OEKDY-SEK, George Konstantinou, told KYPE that the unions met with the Organization’s General Executive Director to review the text of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, adding that an agreement has already been reached on most of the articles.
“There are some details that the Organization will send us in writing in the coming days, and we believe we will agree on those as well,” he said.
He noted that, once the final text is agreed upon, they will proceed to set a date for signing the Agreement so that the agreed-upon benefits for employees, including wage increases, can be implemented.
Mr. Konstantinou clarified that no new meeting has been scheduled yet, noting, however, that the two sides are very close to finalizing the text.
“We had reached an agreement; there were no substantial differences,” he said, explaining that the discussion focused on the wording of certain articles.
“We are all very optimistic that we will have agreed on the final text in the coming days,” he added, noting that it will then be reviewed by the Organization’s Board of Directors before being signed.
For his part, the General Secretary of PASYEK-PEO, Stavros Andreou, told CNA that the meeting confirmed what had been agreed upon in previous days and their inclusion in the key articles of the Agreement.
In particular, he referred to the general wage increase for 2026 and 2027 and how it would be distributed to employees, clarifying that it has been agreed that the increases will not be linked to performance evaluations.
He also said that the text now includes provisions requiring OKYPY to continue intensive dialogue on the development of structures and the placement of employees on pay scales, issues on which there had previously been disagreements.
As he noted, an agreement has been reached with clear timelines, with January 1, 2028, as the target date for the implementation of both the organizational structures and the pay scales.
At the same time, he noted that, with the Parliament’s passage of the amendment to the relevant regulation regarding the granting of raises on an annual rather than a three-year basis, the new regulation will be implemented immediately by OKYPY as well, so that the Organization’s employees are on par with employees at other public-law organizations.
Mr. Andreou explained that there are still procedural issues and minor amendments that arose during the meeting, which will be incorporated into the texts and sent to the unions for final approval, before being submitted to the Board of Directors.
“The goal is to have the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed by the end of the month, which will be in effect for 2026 and 2027,” he said.
He also expressed his belief that, provided the timelines and final texts are confirmed, employees will receive the pay raise before the end of the year.
The General Secretary of the DEE KDOKO-DEOK, Andreas Antoniou, told CNA that the meeting was a follow-up to the previous encouraging discussion regarding the resolution of the dispute at OKYPY.
He noted that the unions reviewed the drafts and submitted clarifications, suggestions, and corrections, adding that the process has not yet been completed.
“We are waiting to see the final drafts so that we can reach an agreement,” he said, adding that the consultations appear to be moving in a positive direction.
He explained that the Organization will send the revised text to the unions, which will make their final positions known, and, if they agree, it will be submitted to the OKYPY Board of Directors.
When asked whether the process is expected to be completed before the end of the year, he replied that the goal is to have it done “before the end of November.”
It should be noted that the six labor unions—PASYDY, SEK, PEO, DEOK, PASYKI, and PASYNO decided on November 6 to suspend the announced 48-hour strike, which had been scheduled for November 10 and 11, following written notification that the OKYPY Board of Directors had ratified the draft agreement that had been submitted to them on November 4.
Source: KYPE
