Police unions on Tuesday reacted strongly to announcements made by the police chief on changes to working conditions.
In a joint statement, Pasydy and the police association said they felt “discomfort and indignation” over what they described as the chief’s insistence on publicly announcing changes to police working hours and annual leave.
The unions said the proposals include a change to daily working schedules and a reduction in leave days from 19.5 days to 4.7 days.
They warned that any implementation of these decisions would amount to a serious breach of established labour institutions.
They said working hours are a fundamental right for all employees and cannot be changed unilaterally.
According to the statement, the current police working hours are the result of formal agreements, while in 2017 it was agreed that police working hours would be gradually aligned with those of the wider public service over a three-year period.
The unions stressed that these arrangements were the product of dialogue and mutual agreement, not unilateral decisions.
They called on the police chief to reconsider his position.
They also warned that if the decision is implemented without agreement, it would irreparably damage the existing climate of trust between the two sides, with negative consequences for labour relations within the police force.
Earlier in the day police chief Themistos Arnaoutis had announced a reduction of working hours in 2019 from 40 to 37.5 hours, which had only been applied to office-based staff would not cover officers too.
Arnaoutis said operational capacity will not be reduced. He said it will instead be strengthened by better workforce management.
He said longer working hours were previously justified by staff shortages, which no longer exist.
Asked about possible reactions to the changes, Arnaoutis said no objections are expected.
He said the measures are based on existing agreements and aim to improve the force’s overall effectiveness.
