Okypy to meet doctors in last-ditch effort to avoid strike

State health services (Okypy) representatives are to meet with doctors’ trade unions on Tuesday in a last-ditch attempt to avoid the strike planned by doctors for Thursday.

According to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), the meeting will be attended by Okypy general executive director Kypros Stavrides as well as representatives from trade unions Pasydy and Pasyki, with attempts to be made to “bridge the gap between the two sides’ positions”.

The dispute between Okypy and the unions is rooted in differences in opinion regarding doctors’ payment, with doctors demanding to be compensated in full for the hours they work, including overtime.

The strike was called on for Thursday, with threats of “escalating measures” on July 2 and July 3 should their demands not be met after the first strike.

The unions also made assurances that a skeleton staff would operate during the strike to ensure that minimum service levels would be upkept.