Update of employees on the modification of legislation that has already come into effect regarding the handling of prolonged standing at the workplace is requested by a letter sent to the Department of Labour Inspection by the trade union PEO.
In the letter, PEO specifically requests the Ministry of Labour to conduct an awareness campaign for employees about the legislation recently passed by Parliament and implemented on December 20, protecting workers from prolonged standing.
In addition to awareness, PEO simultaneously calls for more inspections in the context of adopting changes in legislation, stating that “this change is very significant and primarily concerns workers without union coverage and representation, such as salespersons in supermarkets and stores.”
Already, she adds in a post on social media, “there have been several complaints from workers who, amid festivities, worked many consecutive hours in prolonged standing and were exhausted.” Unfortunately, she adds, the new law remained in the drawers “as it was not applied by the majority of employers, while many workers are unaware of its existence.” PEO, however, urges workers to contact them for details and for any violations of the law by employers.
For further information, it also states that the main change in the law states verbatim that: “The employer provides each employee, during their employment, with a suitable seat for their use and ensures the maintenance or replacement of this seat whenever required:
It is understood that, in cases where the workplace involves duties exposed to prolonged standing, the employer provides suitable seats or takes organizational or other measures, including providing rest areas with suitable seats for the occasional rest of each employee. The implementation of the employer’s obligation to provide seats for each employee and/or to take the necessary organizational or other measures is detailed in the relevant written risk assessment conducted by the employer.”
Seats or breaks
The changes that came into effect at the end of last year are also mentioned in a relevant announcement from the Department of Labour Inspection issued last week. With the amendment, the Department notes, it is required that each employer provides a suitable seat for use by each of their employees. “In any case where the workplace involves duties exposed to prolonged standing, the employer is obliged to provide suitable seats or to take organizational measures for the occasional rest of each employee,” it adds, stating that the amended article “provides that the employer’s obligation to provide seats for each employee and/or the obligation of the employer to take the necessary organizational or other measures arises from the relevant Risk Assessment, which the employer is required to conduct.”
The Department of Labour Inspection further states that the amending legislation achieves the optimal harmonisation of Cyprus with the provisions of European Directive No. 89/391/EEC on the implementation of measures to promote the improvement of the safety and health of workers during work, as well as Directive No. 89/654/EEC on minimum safety and health requirements for workplaces.
