Filenews 7 September 2024 - by Adamos Adamou
The dialogue for the harmonization of the country with the European Directive on adequate minimum wages, which aims, among other things, to increase the number of workers who will be covered by collective agreements, begins next week at the Ministry of Labour.
According to information provided by "F", on Tuesday the 10th of the month there will be a first meeting of representatives of the social partners – trade unions and employers' organizations – with the head of the Department of Labour Relations of the Ministry of Labour, while a second one has already been scheduled for the following Tuesday, September 17.
Like all Member States, our country has until 15 November 2024 to harmonize with Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union. The aim of the Ministry of Labour is not to delay the adoption of the Directive and for it to be adopted by the end of the year.
The newspaper's information states that the harmonization of Cyprus with the Directive on adequate minimum wages will be done either by enacting new legislation/law or by amending the Minimum Wage Law, under which both the decrees on the National Minimum Wage and those on minimum wages in the hotel industry are issued. If, however, new legislation is promoted, the repeal of the existing one is considered certain, a scenario that seems to be the most prevalent.
The European directive does not set a common minimum wage level in the EU, but sets the framework for ensuring the adequacy of minimum wages applicable in each Member State. At the same time, it aims, as we wrote, to increase the number of workers covered by collective agreements, calling on Member States, in case the coverage rate is less than 80%, to draw up an action plan to promote collective bargaining.
In Cyprus, the coverage rate of employees by collective bargaining and collective agreements is close to 50%, including, however, employees of the public and wider public sector.
In view of the above, it is assumed that there is a need to draw up an action plan, which has long been demanded by the trade union movement. The trade unions also include their demand for the legal protection of collective agreements – especially sectoral ones, in order to ensure their implementation – in the context of harmonization of the country with the European Directive.
