Paphos info-file

Labour

End of employment 

Employees are protected against unwarranted dismissal by the legislation on the termination of employment which imposes payment of compensation and counteracts the consequences of redundancy via redundancy payments.

Probationary period

The probationary period for an employee is fixed at 26 weeks. During this period, the employment may be terminated either by the employer or by the employee without the need to give notice.

An employer who intends to move or transfer an employee to another employer permanently or temporarily is required to give the employee written notice to that effect as early as possible.

An employee who is dismissed without a valid reason after being employed for at least 26 weeks is entitled to compensation. A person who is forced to leave the service of an employer because of the employer's conduct towards him is likewise entitled to compensation.

An employee who is made redundant before reaching pensionable age after working for the same employer continuously for 104 weeks is entitled to a redundancy payment from the Redundancy Personnel Fund.

The seasonal employment of an employee who has worked for the same employer every year, either continuously or periodically, is considered to have been continuous where the average yearly duration of the employment with the same employer over the whole period has been at least 15 weeks.

A mass dismissal is considered to have occurred when an employer with 21 to 99 employees dismisses 10 employees or when an enterprise with 100 to 299 employees dismisses 10per cent of its employees or when an enterprise with at least 300 employees dismisses 30 employees.

Compensation Because of Insolvency

The Protection of Employees' Rights in the Event of Insolvency of the Employer Law provides for employees to be paid wages and annual leave pay due from their employer from a special fund if the employer becomes insolvent.

Further Information

  • Social Insurance Services
    Tel    : 22 401 772/685

Text last edited on: 06/2006

Regulations governing employment of women 

Sex equality in employment has always been a principal basic objective of the Government of Cyprus, and has been incorporated in the general socio-economic policy of the state since the end of the seventies and been promoted through specific measures. Those measures are aimed at extending and improving the means to reconciling the responsibilities of family and work, at creating a framework of law which deals effectively with the issue of sex discrimination and generally at consolidating and improving the position of women in economic life and in society.

The female employment percentage in Cyprus is generally high and in line with the EU targets of 57 per cent by 2005 and 60 per cent by 2010.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance is responsible for implementing the laws listed below which are aimed at improving the position of women in employment and at ensuring that men and women are treated equally.

  • The Equal Treatment of Men and Women in Employment and Vocational Training Law of 2002, No 205 (É), which introduces three particularly important issues:
    • the possibility of adopting positive actions (to achieve complete and genuine equality of the sexes)
    • protection against sexual harassment
    • the tripartite Committee on the Equality of the Sexes in Employment and Vocational Training; the Committee will provide advice on the matters in question, and is a significant innovation.
  • The Equal Pay between Men and Women for the Same Work or for Work to which Equal Value is Attributed Law of 2002, No 177(I), ensures equality of remuneration, not only for the same or similar work, but also for work of equal value.
  • The Protection of Maternity Law of 1997 and 2000 (on the Protection of Maternity Law of 1997, No 100 (I)), and the Amending Law of 2002, No 45(É), and also the related Regulations (Ê.D.P. 255/2003). These laws protect pregnant women against unlawful dismissal by their employer.
  • The Parental Leave and Leave for Reasons of Force Majeure Law, No 69(I) of 2002. This law gives parents the right to unpaid leave of up to 13 weeks for the purpose of caring for and raising a child which was born to them or which they have adopted and to unpaid leave of seven days a year for urgent family reasons.
  • The Equal Treatment between Men and Women in Occupational Social Security Schemes Law of 2002, No 133(I), provides full and effective implementation of the principle of equal treatment of men and women in the schemes and prohibits any direct or indirect discrimination on grounds of gender.
  • The social insurance legislation of 1980 – 2005 (Amending Law 51(I) of 2001). Under that amendment of the Social Insurance Law women employed in agriculture are insured as independent employed persons without limitations.

Further Information

  • Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance (equal treatment and combating of discrimination in the workplace)
    Tel: 224 00860/857
  • For statistical information
    Tel: 226 02129/31

Text last edited on: 06/2006

Special categories 

The Department of Labour of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance operates the Service for the Care of the Disabled, which deals exclusively with matters relating to the vocational rehabilitation of people with disabilities and coordination of the taking of all the necessary measures to enable those people to become independent and socially integrated.

The Service for the Care of the Disabled runs three vocational rehabilitation schemes which provide financial assistance for people with disabilities.

These schemes are:

  • the Self-Employment Scheme for people with disabilities. This scheme provides a sum of up to £2 000 to persons with severe disability and a loan interest subsidy of up to £300 with the aim of helping them to become self-employed. In addition, a higher grant of £500 is provided for each additional person in group schemes
  • the Vocational Training Scheme for people with disabilities in skills which are not offered at the Centre for the Vocational Rehabilitation of the Disabled (KEAA). This scheme provides disabled persons with a tuition fee subsidy of up to £1 000 to enable them to follow a course of training which will make it easier for them to obtain employment or give them better prospects in their existing employment
  • the Employment Support Scheme. This scheme facilitates the employment of people with severe disabilities in the open labour market by providing them with personal support, principally through a trained mentor. A grant of £6 000 to cover the cost of the support services is payable to organisations which implement such programmes

The Department of Labour also operates the Centre for the Vocational Rehabilitation of the Disabled which focuses mainly on the vocational rehabilitation of people with disabilities through the provision of training.

The Centre for the Vocational Rehabilitation of the Disabled provides training in the following skills: shoe-making, furniture-making and carpentry, broom-making, cutting and tailoring and knitting and basket-making.

Many organisations, such as state and semi-state organisations, municipalities and large private-sector companies, make a practice of employing partially disabled people in various jobs.

In addition, the Department of Social Security of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security pays benefits according to the percentage of disability of the individual.

Further Information

  • Service for the Care of the Disabled at the Department of Labour of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance
    Tel: 22 400 828
    Fax: 22 400 809

Text last edited on: 06/2006

Occupational risks 

A number of legislative measures on health and safety at work have been adopted in recent years. Employers are responsible for taking all necessary measures and precautions to safeguard health and safety in the work environment.

Within the framework of their basic responsibilities, which have been tightened up in recent years, employers are required to:

  • safeguard the health and safety of their personnel by taking all necessary measures and precautions to prevent accidents, including training and the systematic provision of information about health and safety issues
  • where there are more than five employees, keep a file of potential hazards and take measures to prevent them developing; appoint a person to be in charge of those matters
  • oversee the implementation of all measures which are decided upon, including accident prevention measures, training measures and the systematic provision of information to their personnel about health and safety issues
  • ensure that the persons responsible for health and safety have enough time in which to carry out their duties
  • ensure that the necessary equipment is present in the workplace and that their workers have the equipment with which to carry out their duties safely
  • take necessary measures to protect pregnant women and women who have recently given birth

The basic mission of the Labour Inspection Department is the securing of adequate levels of health and safety in the workplace for all employees, protection of the public against hazards created by work activities, protection of the public and the environment through effective control of industrial pollution, combating of major accident risks, control of chemicals and of hazards engendered by the use of ionising radiation and the monitoring of air quality.

The Department has five branches: the Health and Safety Branch, the Machinery and Chemicals Branch, the Industrial Pollution Control Branch, the Radiation Protection Branch and the Inspection Branch. The head offices of the Department are in Nicosia and there are district offices in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca (also covering Famagusta) and Paphos.

Further Information

  • Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, Labour Inspection Department
    Tel    : 224 05623

Text last edited on: 06/2006

Protection against sexual harassment 

The issue of sexual harassment in the workplace is dealt with by the Equal Treatment of Men and Women in Employment and Vocational Training Law, No 205 (É) 2002. The law prohibits any act, isolated or repeated, which constitutes sexual harassment or direct or indirect unfavourable discrimination by employers and their representatives. The law covers employees, trainees and applicants for employment.

Employers and their representatives are required to refrain from any act which constitutes sexual harassment and are placed under an obligation to stop such acts happening in their sphere of responsibility on behalf of persons who have suffered sexual harassment. When a specific case is drawn to their attention, they are required to take every measure to prevent a recurrence and to repair the damage caused. Failure to take such action renders them jointly liable with the perpetrator of the harassment.

The Federation of Employers and Industrialists of Cyprus has issued a sexual harassment code (OEB) which can be obtained from its offices.

Further Information

  • Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, Department of Labour
    Tel    : 224 00860/857

Text last edited on: 05/2005

Representation of workers

The system of industrial relations in Cyprus is based on voluntary regulation of relations by employers' associations and trade unions. The right of labour to organise is safeguarded, and employees are protected against the possibility of dismissal on account of participation in a union.

The Industrial Relations Code regulates matters pertaining to collective negotiations and collective agreements, the settlement of disputes, the calling of strikes and lockouts.

A large majority of workers are members of a union. The negotiations between unions and employers' associations lead to the conclusion of collective agreements which determine the terms of employment, including payment levels and increases. The agreements are usually renewed every two years.

The labour agreements are usually agreed at branch level and implemented at the enterprises of the branch.

Further Information

  • Industrial Relations Service
    Tel    : 224 01695/6

Text last edited on: 05/2005

Work disputes - Strikes 

Work disputes are settled by recourse to the Industrial Relations Code, which has been agreed and signed by the employers' organisations and the trade unions. Disputes of the following two kinds are settled through the Code.

Disputes

Disputes about rights which arise from the interpretation or implementation of existing collective agreements.

Disputes of this kind include personal complaints stemming from the implementation of the collective agreement. Such complaints are submitted to the employer, who then examines the demand that is being made. Representatives of the unions and of employers' organisations may take part in the discussion of the complaint. If the problem is not resolved through direct negotiations, it is forwarded to the Ministry of Labour for mediation. As a final resort for the settlement of disputes, there is binding arbitration.

Conflicts

Conflicts of interest which arise during the negotiation of collective agreements or at the time of their renewal

The process for resolving differences consists of the following stages:

  • first of all, there is an attempt to resolve the matter by direct negotiation
  • if that fails, there is mediation by the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance (Department of Labour Relations)
  • lastly, if there is still deadlock, the dispute is referred for arbitration or to a public inquiry with the agreement of the two parties

Further Information

  • Department of Labour Relations
    Tel    : 224 01695/6

Text last edited on: 05/2005

copyright © lintv 2008    contact webmaster lintv

lintv banner

Informing you locally online, lintv brings you the latest round-up of news from Paphos & Cyprus with video news every Friday and print news every week-day