Migrant workers need better access to information about their rights, to prevent their abuse by unscrupulous employers, speakers at a roundtable said on Thursday.

The roundtable was held on the occasion of World Day Against Trafficking, observed every year on July 30. Attending were lawyers as well as representatives of the SEK and PEO trade unions.

Attorney Eleni Charalambous said the key issue is not the absence of relevant legislation safeguarding workers’ rights, but rather the effective implementation of it.

Workers from non-EU countries often face difficulties in exercising their rights, she noted.

Charalambous said a person’s residence status does not affect their labour rights, “as it makes no difference to the employer’s obligation to enforce labour laws or to pay a salary”.

She also said it’s important to distinguish between the trafficking of persons and other forms of labour exploitation.

“Before we get to trafficking, there are many other violations of labour legislation and forms of labour exploitation that don’t constitute trafficking in a legal sense.”

Regarding access to the justice system, the lawyer pointed out that migrants frequently face practical impediments due to lack of awareness.

“The problem is not so much the legal framework, as much as its implementation in practice. We need mechanisms so that workers can take recourse to the relevant services, not only whenever a case develops into trafficking, but already from the first stages of labour exploitation.”

For example, when it comes to asylum seekers, in some cases there is confusion as to their right to work. As a result, many remain unemployed for long stretches.

“What is needed is a functional information system, so that it’s clear to all the relevant departments what the status of each asylum seeker is.”

For his part, Panayiotis Ioannides, a SEK trade unionist representing hotel workers, called for more “tools” so that workers have instant access to information and support.

“When we speak of workers, we make no distinction,” he said. “For us, there are no immigrants, there is no distinction between Europeans or Cypriots. Collective agreements apply to all.”

On the practical side, SEK wants to develop a mobile phone app where workers can inform themselves, in their own language, about collective agreements and their rights.

Ioannides made special mention of subcontracting chains active in the hospitality sector.

“Subcontracting chains are the scourge of the hospitality industry across Europe, not just in Cyprus,” he remarked.

He said European trade unions have already submitted proposals to the European Commission on how to contain this phenomenon.

A subcontracting chain is a sequence of business contracts where a main client hires a primary contractor, who then hires lower-tier subcontractors to complete parts of a project.

Subcontracting chains often dilute labour rights by separating the main company from the actual workers, leading to lower pay, poor safety, and hidden exploitation.

Neofytos Timinis, of the PEO union, stressed that all workers – regardless where they come from – are entitled to rights.

“For us, fair employment is not a theoretical concept. It is a matter of class solidarity and equality,” he said.