Directive (EU) 2019/1152 on transparent and predictable working conditions in the European Union was transposed into Cyprus law in April 2023 under the Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Law of 2023 (the Working Conditions Law).
The Working Conditions Law establishes more transparent and predictable employment conditions while ensuring labour-market adaptability. It introduces minimum rights and updates the information that must be provided to employees concerning their working conditions.
Key provisions of the Working Conditions Law
Employers must inform workers in writing of the following core information:
- the identity of the parties to the employment relationship, the place of work and the nature of the activity
- the start date and, if it is fixed-term, end date, as well as the duration and conditions of any probationary period
- basic pay, any other component of remuneration, including overtime, and the frequency and method of payment
- the duration of the normal workday or week when the work rhythm is predictable
- where the pattern of work is unpredictable, employers must inform workers of the reference hours and days on which they may be called upon to work, the minimum notice before starting work and the number of guaranteed paid hours.
Additional information indicated below must be provided by employers within a different timeframe from the above-mentioned information:
- the duration of paid leave
- any training entitlement
- any collective agreements governing the worker’s conditions
- the identity of the social security body receiving social contributions, where this is the employer’s responsibility
- notice periods where the employment relationship is terminated or the method for determining such notice periods
- for temporary agency workers, the details of the undertakings of the user of the agency workers’ services.
The Working Conditions Law sets a number of minimum rights for employees, including the right to:
- not have the probationary period exceed 6 months, save for certain exceptions
- work for another employer outside the established working hours without unfavourable treatment, unless incompatibility restrictions are justified on objective grounds
- for employees whose work pattern is decided by the employer and is entirely or mostly unpredictable, the right to refuse a work assignment outside previously defined reference hours and days without suffering adverse consequences
- request, after six months’ service with the same employer, a job with more predictable and secure working conditions
- receive training at no cost, when the employer is required by legislation or collective agreements to provide such training.
The Working Conditions Law affects all employment relationships made in Cyprus and it is crucial that employers review their policies and contracts to ensure they are in conformity with the new framework.
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