Migrant Workers in Cyprus Face Risk of Abuse, Says Report

Migrants working in Cyprus are facing low wages and poor working conditions. A European human rights group said on Monday that migrant workers should get the same rights as Cypriot and EU workers.

Many migrants work as domestic helpers. There are more than 20,000 domestic workers in the south of Cyprus, where about 930,000 people live. Most of these workers come from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Vietnam.

The report said that these workers are often paid much less than the minimum wage. Because of this, they are at risk of being abused or even trafficked.

In 2020, Cyprus’ Ombudsman office found that many domestic workers earned only 1.29 euros an hour. They also worked very long hours — about 58 hours a week, even though their contracts said they should work only 42 hours.

By law, domestic workers in Cyprus should earn at least 460 euros a month before money is taken out for food and housing. But this is still much lower than the 1,000 euros minimum wage that applies to other workers. After deductions for food and housing, workers lose up to 25% of their pay.

The Council of Europe’s experts, called GRETA, said Cyprus must do better. They urged the government to give migrant workers the same rights as Cypriot and EU citizens.

The report said Cyprus has made some improvements in its laws. However, the country still needs to work harder to find victims of abuse, help them with legal support, and create better living and working conditions for migrant workers.