Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus’ labour inspection department said on Tuesday that 39 undeclared salaried employees were identified in April during checks at 156 locations. Sixteen fines totalling €88,200 were issued.
Inspection campaign
The department said the inspections were carried out to raise awareness of the consequences of undeclared work.
Of the 156 premises checked, 147 were employers and nine were self-employed individuals. A total of 434 workers were inspected.
Legal framework
Under Cyprus law, if an undeclared worker is identified by the Social Insurance department, a €1,000 fine is imposed for each employee for every month of the violation, with a €500 increase every six months.
If repeat violations are found within two years, the fine rises to €2,000 for the second infraction within that period and €3,000 for the third and subsequent infractions.
Workers inspected
According to the department, of the 434 workers inspected, 142 were Greek Cypriots, four were Turkish Cypriots, 110 were European Union citizens and 178 were third-country nationals.