The 2024 Regulations of the Army of the Republic were approved today by the Cabinet (Dangerous Mission Allowances and Other Related Matters), following a relevant proposal submitted by the Ministry of Defence.

The purpose of these Regulations is to simplify the calculation procedures of allowances, the elimination of the resulting bureaucracy as well as the uniform, equal and transparent treatment of the beneficiaries of all benefits, concerning dangerous mission duties of the Army Officers and NCOs of the Republic.

By way of these Regulations, the already valid provisions are codified and consolidated, regarding the conditions for payment of the already paid allowances to members of the Army, repealing the separate Regulations for each of them. At the same time, in addition to the already valid individual provisions, the payment of a Sailing Allowance to the members of the Army of the Republic belonging to warship crews, is being instituted for the first time.

This allowance, the amount which will be determined after the approval of the Regulations by the Parliament, will be paid to the personnel of the warships of the Navy of the Army of the Republic, when the warship is at sea or at anchor outside territorial waters of the Republic of Cyprus.

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In particular and according to a relevant announcement,

1. In today’s session, the Cabinet approved the proposal of the Minister of Defence for the modernization of the institution of the Contracted Soldiers (SYOP) of the National Guard and the upgrading their employment conditions.
2. To upgrade the institution, so that it becomes sustainable and attractive, the Ministry of Defence held a number of meetings with the Ministry of Finance, at the highest level, with the latter chaired by the President of the Republic.
3. Among other things, the Cabinet decided the following:

• Contracted Soldiers will be hired for a full-time ten (10) year service, with successive contracts from one (1) to three (3) years, following a selection process that will include written exams. The salary scale of the recruitment will be Scale A2 and for each year of service a corresponding increment will be granted. Contracted Soldiers will be granted a special allowance for each month of service set at 100 euros. For the ones serving in selected departments of the National Guard, the monthly allowance is fixed at 200 euros.
• A number of Contracted Soldiers will be able to serve until the age of 57 as the rest of the non-commissioned officers of the National Guard, provided that they will succeed in a selection process regarding the inclusion in upgraded salaries after completion of ten (10) years of service. The pay scale of the successful SYOP will correspond to salary Scales A2-A5-A7(ii).
• The termination of the service of SYOPs already serving remains as is, that is, until the completion of their 42nd year of age. Their pay scale will be upgraded from the equivalent of Scale A1 which are in Scale A2 and will be granted a monthly allowance as aforementioned.

A number of Contracted Soldiers may, after completing 10 years of service and if they succeed in the required selection process, which will include written exams, be placed at the corresponding Scales A2-A5-A7 (ii).

1. The arrangements concerning the already serving SYOPs are set in force as of 1 July 2024.
2. An announcement for the recruitment of SYOPs will be made upon the completion of the regulatory framework.

Also read: Ministry of Defence | Press Release for the Recruitment of Contracted Soldiers (SYOP) in the National Guard

In his statements, the Minister of Defence, Mr. Palmas, stated the following:

1. In today’s session, the Cabinet approved a proposal of the Ministry of Defence, which included measures to modernize the institution of the Contracted Soldiers (SYOP) of the National Guard (NG) and upgrade their employment conditions.
2. One of the main objectives of the Government since the day it took office is to strengthen the fighting force of the NG. In this context, the decision is to upgrade the SYOP institution, which since its implementation in 2016, has undoubtedly contributed to the improvement of the operational capacity of the NG.
3. In order to make the institution of SYOPs more attractive and sustainable, I would like to summarize that the Cabinet decided the following in relation to the SYOPs already serving:

a) Their pay scale will be revised from the equivalent Scale A1 to that of Scale A2 and they will be granted a monthly special allowance set at 100 euros. For a number of SYOPs who serve in selected departments of the NG, the monthly allowance is fixed at 200 euros.

b) A number of SYOPs, according to the vacancies, after the completion of 10 years of service, will be able to be employed with upgraded salaries and with an extension of the upper age limit from 42 to 57 years. Those wishing so will be able to take written exams and participate in a selection process. Their salary will be equivalent to that of salary scales A2-A5-A7(ii).

c) The arrangements concerning the already serving SYOPs are put into effect as of July 1, 2024.

4. Regarding the SYOPs to be hired in the future, the Cabinet decided the following:

a) SYOPs will henceforth be hired for a total service of ten (10) years, with the conclusion of successive contracts of one (1) to three (3) years, following a selection process that will include written examinations.

b) The upper age limit will be 27 years and the recruitment salary scale will be equivalent to the annual basic salary of salary scale A2, to which the applicable general and indexical increases will be added.

c) Soldiers will be granted a monthly special allowance with the possibility of extending the upper age limit to 57 years for a number of SYOPs, with upgraded benefits as will apply to those already serving.

d) An announcement for the recruitment of SYOPs will be made upon completion of the formulation of the legislative framework.

Closing, the Minister stated that, with a view to maintaining the orderly operation, upgrading and modernization of the National Guard, the Ministry of Defence listens to the needs, concerns and worries of their personnel and makes every effort to resolve or improve many relevant issues.

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