Applications for early retirement from Cyprus’s public sector increased substantially in the first half of 2012 compared with the previous year according to the latest annual report from the Public Service Commission (PSC).
Head of the PSC, Pavlos Papageorgiou said there had been 250 applications in the first half of this year, whereas there were 240 for the whole of 2011.
Mr Papageorgiou blamed the increase on uncertainty over the future of retirement lump sums for the increase saying even though President Demetris Christofias had stated that the entitlement to a one-off payment would never be touched; constant speculation in the media meant requests for early retirement had continued to increase and were still rising.
“In every meeting we have a number of applications for early retirement,” Mr Papageorgiou said.
He said the law offered PS staff the right to seek early retirement and if there weren’t any objections, the PSC was obliged to approve them.
He also said he couldn’t comment on whether the Government had the money to pay for the early retirements.
“That isn’t our business,” he said.
Mr Papageorgiou said the PSC report also showed all cases in front of the Commission in 2011 were dealt with, except those still pending at the advisory committee stage.
He said there were 173 appeals by Public Servants over various decisions last year, roughly the same as 2010.
“There is a slight reduction in the number of appeals over promotions, and a small increase on matters like filling first-appointment positions,” he said.