Labour inspectors to target undeclared construction workers next month
The labour inspection service will sweep construction sites next month to catch undeclared workers, with fines starting at €1,000 per employee.
The labour inspection service will carry out checks across the construction industry next month, targeting undeclared workers, as reported by Cyprus Mail. The campaign, the service said, is meant to make employers and workers aware of the consequences of undeclared employment and of failing to comply with labour legislation.
Inspectors will also verify basic employment conditions, including working hours and weekly rest.
Under existing law, an employer caught with an undeclared worker registered with the social insurance fund faces a fine of €1,000 per employee for the month the violation is detected. The fine rises by €500 for every six months the violation continues. A second offence within two years raises it to €2,000, and a third or subsequent offence to €3,000, unless the employer can show the violation period was shorter or longer, in which case the fine is adjusted or multiplied accordingly.
The labour ministry said its hotline, 77778577, remains open for anonymous or named reports of undeclared work or breaches of employment terms.
House labour committee chairman and Akel MP Giorgos Koukoumas said this week that complaints about temporary employment agencies supplying construction and tourism workers were “linked to slave trade and human trafficking.” He said the practice creates a “two tier workforce”, describing cases in which “employers transport workers in buses or vans and leave them at workplaces, construction sites or elsewhere to work under degrading working conditions and for a pittance.”
Koukoumas said the labour ministry had acknowledged such cases exist, and the committee is awaiting data on whether sanctions or criminal proceedings followed. He questioned why a bill on the liability of main contractors in construction had not yet reached parliament, saying it was needed “to close other legal windows that exist in such cases.”
Disy MP Andreas Constantinou said inspections must clearly distinguish between legitimate service contracts and the unlawful supply of labour through agencies. “If through this process it is determined that there are gaps in the existing legislation, we are ready to examine the necessary regulations so that the framework is clear and implemented effectively, in order to prevent a modern slave trade,” he said.
What it means for residents
If you work in construction or hire builders, next month brings a higher chance of site inspections and paperwork checks. Employers should make sure every worker is properly registered with social insurance and that hours and rest days are documented, because fines are charged per worker and grow the longer a violation continues.
- For employers: review your worker registrations and contracts before inspectors arrive; a single undeclared worker can cost €1,000 or more.
- For workers: the ministry hotline 77778577 accepts anonymous reports if your pay or conditions breach the rules.
- For homeowners: if you hire a contractor, ask whether the crew is declared and insured, as liability questions are now before parliament.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
