Almost €140,000 has been paid by the government in salaries to a total of 126 workers who were unable to return to work as a result of the wildfire which tore through the Limassol district last month, the labour ministry said on Tuesday.

The workers received exactly €139,622, corresponding to exactly €1,108.11 per person, with those salaries relating to the period between July 23, the day the fire broke out, and the end of July.

That figure comprises 26 companies, which employ a total of 94 workers between them, and 32 self-employed workers.

Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou had said at the end of last month that the government will continue to pay salaries for fire-affected workers until the end of October.

He added that the amount paid out by the government will “correspond to the amount of the salary which each worker received during the previous period”, with data from the social insurance fund set to be used to calculate each worker’s earnings.

He said at the time that these payments would include social insurance contributions payable both by workers and employers, before stressing that to this end, “no insurance gaps will be created in the current period”.

“The aim is for the money to be paid to those affected without bureaucratic procedures, and for communication with the beneficiaries to confirm their details to begin immediately,” he said at the time.

He added that the payment will allow for a continued “flow of earnings to workers”, while also “maintaining the staffing of business in the area with a view to repairing the damage and reactivating professionals and businesses”.

Of the planned conclusion of the programme in October, he said it may be extended depending on the extent to which the economy in fire-impacted areas is “reactivated”.

In addition, he said, “personalised guidance will be provided to those affected, both workers and employers, according to the information and characteristics which apply in each case, in view of the resumption of their professional activities”.