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Working In Cyprus | Working In Cyprus |
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Regulations The main ways of finding work in Cyprus include - Use of the Public Employment Services (PES) - Use of private employment agencies - Reading of advertisements in the press - Personal acquaintance. The public employment services are attached to the Department of Labor of the Ministry of Labor and Social Insurance and operate centrally and at district level. There are four district labor offices – one in each city – and two branches (Paralimni and Poli Chrysyhous) these offer services free of charge to persons who are seeking employment or better employment and to employers who are looking for workers. Persons who are seeking work must: - Register at any District Labor Office, regardless of where they are living, and renew their application for assistance with finding work at fixed intervals - Furnish, when registering for work, an identity card or a passport or an alien’s registration document and the originals or certified copies of their diplomas/educational qualifications, their lower or upper secondary school leaving certificate or certificates awarded following any professional examinations; - A person from a multi child family must furnish a multi child family identity card - Disabled persons must furnish a medical certificate of disability The following persons can register at a district labor office in order to find work: - Persons who have reached 15 years of age - Citizens of Cyprus and of the other countries of the European Economic Area - Foreign nationals who are of Cypriot origin on their mother’s or father’s side, provided that they furnish the identity card issued by the Identity Cards Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when registering - Political refugees - Foreign spouses of Cyprus nationals. If a person who has submitted an application for help with finding work refuses to attend a recruitment interview or refuses an offer of employment without good reason, the application is struck off. The Employment Services offer the following services to employers: - Help with filling vacancies for part-time, full-time and irregular workers - Information about conditions and terms of employment and labor legislation - Information about training and further training opportunities and about opportunities for raising the skills of their labor force - Apprenticeship training through the Apprenticeship System. When notifying a vacancy, the employer is required to complete a special form providing information about the nature of the vacant post and the terms of employment. The sending of persons for interview is attended to by the labor office of the district in which the place of employment is located. Employers who are looking for workers can notify vacancies in person, by post or by electronic means. Cyprus also has private consultancies which provide specialised services to persons who are looking for work and to employers. Some of the private employment agencies specialise in management personnel and others in specific sectors such as the hotel professions and unskilled and technical staff. There are also several offices to which a person can send his CV via the Internet and establish contact with employers who are looking for staff in his field. All of those offices have electronic addresses from which more information can be obtained. Employment can also be found in other ways, such as by looking through the job advertisements in the local newspapers. The websites of the main newspapers in Cyprus can be accessed through the official website of the Republic. Because of the small size of the island, many people find employment through acquaintances and friends. There are many ways, such as through the services of EURES and on the Internet, in which a person can find work even before traveling to Cyprus. Working Time Working time varies according to sector and profession. Most offices and enterprises work from 08.00 to 17.30, with a break from 13.00 to 14.30. The law lays down maximum hours of working; variations in different branches are fixed through the collective agreements. Specifically: - Every worker must have a minimum of 11 continuous hours of rest in a 24-hour period and one period of at least 35 hours of rest per week. The legislation fixes the maximum working week at 48 hours, including overtime (8 hours per week), averaged over a period of four months; - Night work is considered to be work done between 23.00 and 18.00 and must not exceed eight hours in 24 hours; - When the daily working time exceeds six hours, the employee is entitled to a break of at least 15 minutes during which he is entitled to leave his work post; the setting of the break at the very beginning or immediately after the work is prohibited; - Digressions from the provisions on daily rest time, weekly rest time, break time, night working and the reference period for the 48-hour week are permitted on up to four occasions in 12 months. The digressions must be in compliance with the collective agreements or with agreements between the employer and representatives of the employees. Weekly working time, overtime and weekly rest time are regulated by special legislation for shop assistants, office workers, drivers and hotel and entertainment centre workers. The working time of young people and children is regulated by special legislation. Persons of 15 to 18 years of age are not allowed to work more than 38 hours a week and must not work between 23.00 and 7.00. Salary Payment is usually made weekly or monthly. The employer withholds the compulsory amounts (social security contributions and income tax) from the salary. In Cyprus, salaries are normally fixed through collective agreements. The collective agreements are usually made for two years and are negotiated between employers and the labor organisations. The procedures to be followed for the submission of claims and negotiation and/or mediation are regulated by the Industrial Relations Code. The Ministry of Labor fixes minimum wage levels each year for office workers, sales people, nurses in baby nurseries, infant school assistants and school assistants every year. Most recently, the Council of Ministers fixed the minimum wage at £300.94 (£345) per month and at £320.13 (£367) per month after six months’ employment. Payment for additional hours worked (overtime) is fixed by collective agreement on the basis of time and a half, and, in most cases, on the basis of double time for work done on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. A number of organisations provide for payment in the form of bonuses or other sums based on results, chiefly in the cases of management staff and salespeople. Most enterprises and organisations pay a 13th and even, more rarely, a 14th salary at Christmas and Easter respectively. These payments are governed by the collective agreements or by agreement between the employer and the employee. Payment by commission is made chiefly to employees working in sales. Remuneration is protected in case of sickness through the social insurance system or through a collective agreement or through both. Vocational training Responsibility for vocational training and personnel development issues in Cyprus resides with the Human Resource Development Authority. The Authority endeavors to create conditions for planned and systematic training and development of human resources in Cyprus at all levels and in all sectors in order to meet the needs of the economy in the context of the state’s social and economic policy. As part of its activity, the Authority organises a series of programs for the technical training of personnel in concert with other competent bodies. These programs are open to persons who are employed by Cypriot enterprises. They include initial training in technical and hotel occupations, training of tertiary education graduates for managerial posts in enterprises and an apprenticeship scheme aimed at young people of 14 years of age and over who wish to be trained and employed in technical occupations. New programmers are planned for specific population groups such as the unemployed, women and persons who have received education up to secondary level only. The Human Resource Development Authority also subsidises seminars organised by enterprises for their personnel and training programs organised by training institutions. Details of the open programs which are subsidised by the Human Resource Development Authority can be found on the website. The programs encompass subjects such as administration, customer service, information technology and new technologies, etc. Useful Contacts
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