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Thousands of low-income retirees were once again left without an Easter bonus this year, with the number of those missing out significantly higher than in previous years, according to the Union of Cypriot Pensioners (EKYSY).
In a statement, EKYSY’S General Secretary Kostas Skarparis highlighted that the union has been inundated with calls from disgruntled pensioners who received the bonus last year but were ineligible this year.
“The Christodoulides government, continuing in the footsteps of the previous Anastasiades administration, maintained the same financial criteria as last year and the years before, resulting in only 13,500 individuals being eligible for the Easter allowance. This is around 3,000 fewer than last year,” he said.
Skarparis also drew attention to the fact that the promised €100 allowance announced as a cost-of-living support measure ended up being just €50 per pensioner household with two individuals, a detail that was not initially made clear by the government.