Teachers will drive the message home with a three-hour strike and by abstaining activities outside the school gates if the second package in its current shape is passed, secondary school teachers’ union POED head, Philios Phylactou warned yesterday.

“Teachers will be limited to their teaching responsibilities and won’t take part in any of the extra activities that they usually would outside of school time like parades and the choir,” said Phylactou.

Phylactou also threatened that teachers would not participate in the upcoming municipal elections.

He also made reference to the extra training that teachers have to undergo now due to reform in the curriculum saying that “even though it’s part of the service we feel they can’t do this without something in return.” “If they vote [the second package through] we will have to see how we will proceed,” said Phylactou.

Meanwhile, government doctors were also up in arms claiming they had simply “been put in the same bag with other civil servants.” Head of government doctor’s union PASYKI Vaios Partasides said that doctors would meet next week to decide on what “dynamic” measures they could take if the second package is voted through as is.

He also questioned what incentives would be left for people to enter the public sector with pensions being cut. “A government doctor today gets a cropped pension of with about 30 to 50 per cent of it being reduced and again he’s called today to contribute double to this,” he said.

“We’re warning that in this way hospitals will be downgraded and we don’t have any regrets because we have let everyone know about these problems,” added Partasides. The second package aims to cut newcomer pay scales by 10 per cent and freeze promotions in the last 18 months of retirement, among other measures, such as a reduction in the 13th salary and Cost of Living Allowance.