AKEL blamed the government on Friday for serious failings in the mechanisms for monitoring and protecting workers, in response to revelations of labour trafficking and inhumane working and living conditions in Cyprus. The party demanded a full investigation of the complaints, accountability for those responsible, a substantial strengthening of inspections and strict enforcement of labour law.
Rather than strengthening inspections and safeguards, the government had agreed to demands from employers’ organisations to relax the conditions for employing workers from non-EU countries, AKEL said. It accused the government of serving powerful interests instead of curbing abuses by employers.
The revelations were shameful for Cyprus, the party said. It described the practices as reminiscent of the Middle Ages in the workplace and a flagrant violation of fundamental labour and human rights.
AKEL also urged a full review of the strategy for employing non-EU workers, to ensure that collective agreements are applied and that all workers are protected equally.
Weak inspections did not only harm the workers being directly exploited, it said, but also undermined collective agreements, squeezed employment terms and eroded the rights of all workers. Protecting the rights of every worker was a precondition for protecting the rights of all, the party added.
