Four of Cyprus’ largest nursing unions—SEVETTYK PEO, OUK SEK, PASYDY and PASYNO—issued a joint statement on 29 October 2026 rejecting draft amendments that would simplify the recruitment of non-EU nurses. The bill, championed by the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) and the Association of Private Hospitals (PASIN), would lower Greek-language requirements, allow faster work-permit processing and let private clinics hire directly from overseas. Union leaders told the House Health Committee that patient safety could be compromised if language proficiency drops below the current B2 (upper-intermediate) threshold. They also warned of “two-tier” employment conditions, claiming foreign nurses might be paid up to 30 percent less than Cypriot colleagues, undercutting collective agreements. The Health Ministry argues that Cyprus faces a shortfall of roughly 1,200 nurses, made worse by outbound mobility of local graduates to higher-paying EU markets. Private hospitals say waiting lists for elective surgery have doubled since the summer and insist that overseas hiring is the only quick fix. If passed unchanged, the bill would streamline work-permit issuance: employers could submit a single online dossier covering immigration clearance, professional licensing and recognition of qualifications, reducing lead-time from six months to an estimated eight weeks. For global mobility managers, the change would open a new, relatively swift channel for intra-company transfers of clinical staff—but only if political resistance can be overcome. The unions have called for an urgent tripartite meeting and hinted at industrial action if the draft proceeds to a plenary vote without further consultation. Companies in the private healthcare, medical-tourism and elder-care sectors should therefore prepare contingency staffing plans and monitor parliamentary scheduling over the next fortnight.
Source: KNEWS
