Cyprus industrial workers’ federation (Oviek-Sek) secretary-general George Kasiouris on Thursday called for a “balanced approach” regarding the employment of third-country nationals on the island.
“The strategy of granting work permits to third-country nationals must be based on a balanced approach, which combines the meeting of the needs of the domestic labour market with the safeguarding of the rights and welfare of workers,” he said.
He added, “policies should promote transparency and the equality of opportunity, ensuring that the process of granting work permits is fair and based on objective criteria, such as the needs of local industries and the availability of skills.”
He went on to say that the authorities must ensure that third-country nationals working in Cyprus have access to “decent working conditions” and that their rights are recognised, so as to “avoid them being exploited” and to “strengthen social cohesion.”
He said policies regarding the addition of third-country nationals to the labour market should “promote continued training and the development of skills”, with the aim of those workers being “smoothly integrated into the labour market”.
If this is achieved, he said, they will then be able to “contribute substantially to the country’s economic development”.
He also noted that third-country nationals’ wages should be regulated so as to “not create conditions of unfair competition between businesses or between workers.”
