Unions call for meeting with President over minimum wage

Trade unions on Monday asked for a meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides to air in person their grievances chiefly over the recent revision of the national minimum wage, which they call woefully inadequate.

Head of the SEK union Andreas Matsas confirmed they sent a letter requesting to meet Christodoulides and the labour minister.

Matsas reiterated that the recent increase in the minimum wage is insufficient, leaving thousands of workers in the lurch.

Two weeks ago, the labour minister issued a decree setting the new minimum wage for the next two-year period.

The minimum wage on hiring will rise from €900 to €979, and from €1,000 to €1,088 after six months of continuous employment.

The changes, expected to affect around 50,000 workers, apply from this month.

This left both the unions and employers organisations unsatisfied. The latter complained the increase was not justified.

Matsas was asked to respond to comments made by Michalis Antoniou, the director-general of the Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEV).

A day earlier, Antoniou posted on social media that the discussion over minimum wage is now “closed” for the next two years.

He was apparently trying to preempt efforts by the unions to agitate for another adjustment.

Any change to the minimum wage before the two-year period is up would violate the code of industrial relations, the OEV boss asserted.

But SEK’s Matsas contested this, saying the minimum wage is set by ministerial decree – not by some agreement between the stakeholders after talks.

Regarding the view that the matter is “closed” for the next two years, Matsas said: “Tell that to the vulnerable segments of society.”

He added: “God forbid if we have to wait two years to regulate a matter affecting people’s ability to cope with basic needs.”

Matsas also censured the government for not following up on a promise to set an hourly rate for the minimum wage.

Earlier, trade unions had complained that the new minimum wage has actually dropped from 58.5 per cent of the median wage in 2023, to now 57.8 per cent.

According to the Statistical Service, median gross monthly earnings in Cyprus for 2024 were €1,881, meaning half of all employees earned less and half earned more than that number.

The new minimum wage – €1,088 – is 57.8 per cent of €1,881.

The EU Minimum Wage Directive recommends, but does not mandate, that member-states use 60 per cent of the gross median wage as an indicative reference value when assessing the adequacy of their national statutory minimum wages.