Inevitably, the issue of the shortage of labor in almost all sectors of the economy is expected to be discussed again today during the session of the Tripartite Monitoring Committee on the Implementation of the Strategy for the Employment of Third-Country Nationals in Cyprus.
The committee is convening for only the second time in almost 11 months since the new strategy came into effect.
Notably, the strategy was approved just days before the end of the previous government’s term, sparking strong reactions from the trade union movement.
The first meeting of the Tripartite Committee took place last July, and today’s session was decided at the Labor Advisory Body held in mid-December.
The focus of discussion was “the strategy for the employment of third-country nationals, especially students from third countries, as well as the connection between managing migration flows and the labor market.”
Back then, due to intense opinions on the matter from both employer organizations and trade unions, it was decided to convene the Tripartite Committee to exchange views on the existing foreign employment strategy.
This strategy has left neither trade unions nor employer organizations satisfied.
KEVE and OEB insist that the labour market’s needs remain significant, calling for further flexibility and speed in approving permits for employing foreign personnel.
Meanwhile, trade unions insist on the need to reinstate technical advisory committees that were in place before the new strategy.
These committees had a consultative role and received updates on businesses’ requests for hiring personnel from third countries.
The union movement also calls for clarification that those granted permits must implement collective agreements without violating industry-specific contracts—a demand expected to be reiterated today.
In anticipation of today’s session at the Ministry of Labour, social partners were invited to submit their opinions on the matter once again, which are expected to be discussed today.
However, estimations suggest that final decisions should not be expected from today’s meeting of the Advisory Committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour.
It is anticipated, though, that there will be an update from the ministry regarding the number of applications and approvals based on the new strategy.
There might also be a discussion of measures recently proposed to address the shortage of human resources, which were discussed in a recent meeting between the Minister of Labour and the leadership of OEB and KEVE.
