A man caused serious damage to five employee vehicles with a crowbar at the Social Services Office in Agioi Anargyroi today, with the Sectoral Council of Social Services Officers of the Pancyprian Trade Union ISOTITA raising concerns over staff safety.
The union said it had been provided with information, along with photographic and video material, showing that a person being served at the office broke the windows of five employees’ vehicles with an iron crowbar.
The union described it as a particularly worrying incident that could have put employees, members of the public and security guards at the scene in immediate danger.
Suspect arrested, reportedly in housing dispute
Philenews has learned from the Welfare Services that the perpetrator has been arrested. According to information obtained by Philenews, he is a Greek national and a recipient of the Guaranteed Minimum Income, who in recent days had been going daily to the Agioi Anargyroi Social Services Office asking staff to find him housing.
Staff reportedly told him, according to the same information, that procedure requires him to find housing himself before the Service can step in to arrange a rent subsidy. However, according to the same information, the man went to the office today and began damaging employees’ vehicles with the crowbar.
Union says incident not isolated
The union said today’s incident was not an isolated case, adding that staff at Social Welfare Services offices have faced incidents of aggression, threats, intimidation and violence for years, recorded at various offices countrywide.
The council said it has repeatedly raised the issue of workplace safety, holding meetings, sending letters and submitting proposals, and that it had received assurances in the past that substantive protective measures would be taken.
Despite repeated warnings and previous commitments, the union said the safety issue remains essentially unresolved, with announced measures either not implemented or never completed, and no adequate progress made recently on a problem it said directly concerns the protection of human life.
The union said existing security systems at several offices are underperforming or not functioning at all, despite repeated flagging by staff, adding that colleagues, members of the public and security personnel continue to work and be served in places where protective measures remain inadequate.
The union said the issue concerns not only Social Services Officers but all staff, security guards and citizens who visit Social Services Offices daily for support, adding that safety and health at work are not optional and cannot be continually deferred, but are a fundamental employer obligation and a non-negotiable employee right.
Two-hour work stoppage held
In protest at what it called “the continuing inaction and the repeated incidents of violence,” employees at the Agioi Anargyroi Social Services Office held a two-hour work stoppage today, from 11am to 1pm.
The council called on the Directorate of Social Welfare Services and the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare to immediately implement specific, effective and fully functional security measures at all Social Services Offices.
The union said it would not wait for an employee, member of the public or security guard to be injured before the seriousness of the problem is recognised, describing today’s incident as another warning.
Taking substantive safety measures must become an immediate priority, the union said, not another commitment that remains on paper.