Paphos fruit packers have warned they will protest at the labour ministry early in January if a specific fruit-packing company is allowed to continue using its work-permits to hire third-country nationals for unsanctioned reasons.
In an announcement on Wednesday, trade union Segdamelin – Peo expressed its full support for the packers saying the company’s actions “violate the agreements for granting foreigners employment permits in Cyprus and creates conditions under which Cypriots may lose many of the existing jobs”.
The union explained that in 2017, at a location in Paphos, workers from third countries were found working illegally packing fruits. After examining the case, the labour department decided to cancel 10 of the company’s work permit-privileges. Just months later, the permits were reinstated and the company continued hiring foreigners, the union statement says.
Work permits are granted to businesses in the agricultural sector, allowing legal third-country nationals to be employed but the statement said fruit packing is not covered by the work permits and that using them in this way is a violation of the permits.
This, they say, is unfair competition for the remainder of Paphos employers in the sector who only employ Cypriots and EU nationals for packing work, since the cost of workers from third countries is well below half of that of EU and Cypriots.
“A few hundred Cypriots work in the packaging of fruits and potatoes, and this is seasonal work for which there has never been a shortage of labour,” the statement said.
Workers have now decided that if the decision is not revoked by the end of December they will go to the labour ministry, ask for explanations and demand assurances that their jobs will be safe.
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