Unions trade barbs over conditions at central prisons

A war of words broke out on Tuesday between civil servants union Pasydy and the Isotita trade union over working conditions at Cyprus’ central prisons.

Pasydy’s prison branch accused Isotita of attempting to replace “union discourse with unsubstantiated accusations, and personal slander”, rejecting claims of intimidation and abuse of authority.

It described Isotita’s statement as a “text of panic and internal disintegration” and dismissed allegations against prison branch president Andreas Pepis and secretary general Stratis Mattheou as defamatory.

“There has never been, nor is there, any abuse of power, blackmail or favourable treatment of staff for union reasons,” Pasydy retorted.

Claims that Pepis interfered in the allocation of posts or shifts were also denied.

It further referred to allegations of intimidation and even incidents of physical violence aimed at pressuring colleagues to join the rival union.

Earlier, Isotita had accused prison authorities of operating what it described as a “mechanism of transaction and crude extortion”.

The union claimed that hierarchical power was being used to reward Pasydy members with favourable shifts and positions, while targeting members of Isotita.

Isotita directly accused Pepis of abusing his administrative authority and criticised Pasydy’s leadership for what it called negligence and complicity.

“Their ‘front line’ is the air-conditioned offices, ours is the cells,” the statement said, adding that workplace security could not be bargained for through “insider knowledge and underground routes”.

The escalating union dispute comes amid a mounting crisis over conditions at the central prison.

On Friday, the prisoner’s rights association urged Justice Minister Constas Fitiris to take “immediate and drastic measures”.

In a letter to the minister, the association’s president Alexandros Clerides called for an emergency period to implement a comprehensive prison policy.

“Every death in the central prison is a nullification of democracy itself,” he wrote, stressing that there must be zero tolerance for loss of life.

The association also called for broader application of the presidential Christmas pardon to reduce overcrowding, alongside the swift deportation of foreign inmates who wish to serve their sentences in their home countries.

Earlier this month, Fitiris pledged action after meeting Isotita representatives, acknowledging that a facility “built in 1890 is not fit for modern needs”.

While ruling out a new prison in the immediate future, he announced plans to hire 90 prison wardens and agreed to the creation of a rapid task force to deal with internal violence.

The central prisons have been under intense scrutiny following warnings from the EU’s torture prevention watchdog regarding serious overcrowding and high levels of inter-prisoner violence, as well as the recent death of an inmate.