Cyprus is a Mediterranean island where migrant workers face low wages and high risks of exploitation, according to a warning from the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking monitoring body. According to the rights agency, many of them labour in subpar conditions for far less than the minimum wage.
A new report by a European human rights watchdog claims that low pay, long hours, and few legal protections put migrant workers in Cyprus at serious risk of exploitation and human trafficking.
The glaring differences in treatment between migrant workers and Cypriot or EU workers on the island were highlighted in a five-year assessment released Monday (April 28) by GRETA (Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings), the anti-trafficking monitoring body of the Council of Europe.
Over 20,000 domestic workers are employed in Cyprus, which has a population of about 930,000 in its government-controlled southern region. The majority of the workers are from Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. Many of them work in subpar conditions that violate their contracts and make far less than the national minimum wage, despite playing a crucial role in Cypriot households.
According to the report, the Cyprus Ombudsman’s office found that domestic workers were sometimes paid as little as 1.29 euros per hour and put in an average of 58 hours per week, which is significantly more than the 42 hours allowed by their employment contracts.
The gross monthly wage for domestic workers is currently set at 460 euros under current law, but this amount is further decreased by deductions for housing and food, which can account for up to 25% of their income. On the other hand, other Cyprus workers are entitled to a minimum monthly starting salary of 1,000 euros.
The GRETA report urges Cypriot authorities to give migrant workers better protections, such as equal pay and access to the same rights as domestic and EU workers. Improved efforts to find exploitation victims, guarantee access to legal assistance, and improve working conditions are also demanded.
The watchdog noted the need for more proactive steps to close the protection gap for foreign workers in the nation, even as it acknowledged legislative progress.