Nicosia : Employees of the House of Representatives have voiced strong discontent with the conduct of certain MPs, in parliament as well as in public statements and on social media. They say demeaning comments are eroding their professional dignity and their working relationships.
Letter to the House president
The complaint was set out in a letter dated October 27 and addressed to House president Annita Demetriou by the Pasydy parliamentary employees’ branch. The branch asked for a workplace founded on mutual respect and institutional decorum.
Staff describe their role
The employees said they perform their tasks every day with professionalism, responsibility and discretion. They provide administrative, scientific and organisational assistance to MPs, to the MPs’ parliamentary associates and to the various bodies of the House. In their words, their main duty is to secure the smooth running of parliament and to safeguard the credibility and dignity of the institution.
Concerns over public comments
The branch cautioned that conduct and public remarks which belittle staff, discredit their work, or blame them as a group without regard for their institutional role and demanding working conditions “harm both their professional and personal dignity”. According to the letter, such behaviour also fosters disappointment and insecurity, and weakens the basic cooperative relationship between MPs and parliamentary staff going forward.
Criticism versus personal attacks
The employees accepted that MPs are entitled to criticise, raise concerns and request explanations about how parliament operates. They argued, however, that criticism should separate institutional or administrative disagreements from personal attacks on staff. They said public disagreements must not be used to single out employees, place sole responsibility on them or belittle them.
Call for preventive measures
The union branch asked for steps to prevent similar conduct and remarks from recurring. The letter concluded that the smooth functioning of parliament and effective support for its work depend on cooperation, trust and mutual respect between MPs and staff.
