Nicosia is bracing for a day of systemic paralysis on Thursday, 18 December, as a simultaneous strike by public school teachers and a tractor blockade by farmers threaten to cut off the city’s primary arteries.
The coordinated industrial action represents a direct challenge to the government’s reform agenda. While teachers are striking to block a controversial evaluation bill that critics say invites political favouritism, their move risks the Republic’s access to €60 million in EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funds. Simultaneously, hundreds of farmers are set to converge on the Presidential Palace, protesting “unacceptable” EU agricultural policies that they claim are driving local producers into insolvency.
Commuter chaos and school bus cancellations
The double wave of action is timed to hit during the morning rush hour, with the Ministry of Transport confirming the complete cancellation of school bus services for over 310,000 residents.
- Secondary Strike (OELMEK): 07:30 to 09:00.
- Primary Strike (POED): 07:30 to 09:05.
As parents scramble for private transport, agricultural convoys from every district will begin their trek to the GSP Stadium and the Jumbo car park in Latsia. By 10:30, these convoys will funnel heavy machinery through Athalassa and Iosif Hadjiosif avenues, aiming for a final standoff at “Europe House” on Lord Byron Street.