Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Working Conditions (Hotels and Restaurants) Convention, 1991 (No. 172) - Cyprus (Ratification: 1997)

Article 3 of the Convention. National policy for the hotel and catering industry. Further to its previous comment concerning the situation of migrant workers in the hotel and catering sector, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that the employment of such workers is governed by the Aliens and Immigration Law and the applicable procedures that were set by the “Employment of Foreign Manpower Strategy” following tripartite consultations. The Government states that the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance ensures the equal treatment of migrant workers with nationals through employment contracts, signed by both the employer and the migrant worker, which contain the main employment conditions in accordance with existing sectoral and enterprise-level collective agreements. In this respect, the Committee understands that a 2013–15 collective agreement in the hotel industry was accepted in May 2013, which covers approximately 16,000 skilled and unskilled workers. It further notes, however, that according to information published by the European Industrial Relations Observatory, some 4,000 immigrant workers are anticipated to be excluded from the scope of the agreement because their respective employers do not permit them to form unions. The Committee accordingly requests the Government to provide further explanations as to how it is ensured that migrant workers who are not permitted to form unions may benefit from the same conditions of work that are contained in the 2013–15 collective agreement in the hotel industry. The Committee also requests the Government to submit a copy of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Strategy. Further, the Committee understands that a new incentive project for employment of the unemployed in the hotels, restaurants and catering sector, which aims to create jobs for some 6,000 employees, has been in effect since July 2013. The Committee requests the Government to keep it informed of the implementation of this project and the results achieved.