Cyprus-Forum.com

[Pyrpolizer]

Here's a link:
http://www.mlsi.gov.cy/mlsi/dlr/dlr.nsf ... enDocument

You's think that's a law ha?
No it's not!! It's a Ministerial Order. You have no idea of how many Ministerial Orders (which are not really laws approved by the parliament) govern your daily lives in this "democracy".
In greek it's called διαταγμα.
E.g. When I got my first job we had the "noon break order" διαταγμα μεσημβρινης αργιας.
we were working from 8am to 1pm then he had a 3 hour brake and then from 4pm to 7 pm. 8 hours work +3 wastage=11 hours per day at the damn workplace!!

[Pyrpolizer]

Are you guys for real?
Haven't you heard what is going on in Cyprus from 2013??
Salaries for nearly ALL young persons range from 500 to maximum 850 Euros for those who have some skill.
Young Journalists for 600 Euros per month...
Banks employ University graduates for as low as 1000 Euros/month
4-5 Euros/hour is just a Standard rate, go ask people who work at the big malls, supermarkets, etc. Superhome,Ikea etc.
Not only the Ministry of labor knows about it but is does absolutely nothing.
The greatest ridiculing of the law and the Ministry of labor itself is when the Employers themselves pay social insurance for their employees OFFICIALLY declaring the salaries they pay. Nobody asks them but how can you pay your employee below the "legal" minimum salary of 850 Euro per month.
The stupid minimum Salary law however says that it applies only for a few jobs like hairdressers and cleaners. Just because 60 years ago these were the people who were actually getting paid the lowest salary. Beleive it or not in this "Paradise Island" (by Milti's standards) which is supposed to be an EU country imish, there is no law for minimum Salary for all jobs in fact the only law that exists protects only a few proffessions that were the lowest paid jobs some 60 years ago. Basically one can say that in reality there is no minimum salary law in Cyprus today.

GR, did you notice that the complain form contains nothing about the "legal"minimum salary?

Good point Pyrpolizer. Why aren't these companies named and shamed? There was scandal here in the UK a while back and all the offending companies were exposed and made to pay up retrospectively.

Because it includes 90% of the employers! Everyone who would dare complain will simply lose his job.

[Paphitis]

4 euro per hour-full time and 5 euro per hour-part time

Good grief!

A whole 4 and 5 Euros per hour! Part time.

Would this person be able to live?

[CBBB]

4 euro per hour-full time and 5 euro per hour-part time

Looks like you’re cheating mate…

Minimum Wages in Cyprus:

https://wageindicator.org/salary/minimum-wage/cyprus/

http://www.mlsi.gov.cy/mlsi/dlr/dlr.nsf ... 9300246936

It doesn't cover restaurant workers, so there is no minimum wage for them.

[Sotos]

€4-€5 is perfectly fine for a waiter in Cyprus who will also collect tips. Cyprus isn't Monaco, and on top of that we have just been through a crisis. Secondly, waiters are not exactly highly skilled labor, so it is expected that their wages will be among the lowest.

If the government enforced higher minimum wage then their employers would not be able to afford them, many of those would close down, and unemployment would rise.

[Pyrpolizer]

€4-€5 is perfectly fine for a waiter in Cyprus who will also collect tips. Cyprus isn't Monaco, and on top of that we have just been through a crisis. Secondly, waiters are not exactly highly skilled labor, so it is expected that their wages will be among the lowest.

If the government enforced higher minimum wage then their employers would not be able to afford them, many of those would close down, and unemployment would rise.

That's a myth Sotos. I am in business for the last 35 years and I can make an accurate estimate of the annual profits of any healthy business employing up to 30 people. Restaurants are seasonal business operating on a gross margin of standard 400%. Go eat fish at Mackenzie beach,if the gross cost is 20 you will pay 80 Euros. Instead of looking at the turnover though you can look at the number of employees.
10 employees means the boss makes a minimum nett profit of 1-2 times the profit of their salary. So a typical restaurant at Mackenzie beach with 10 employees would deliver a minimum of 10,000 Euros/month nett to the Boss.
The only way to make that business non profitable would be to Double or Triple the wages of the employees.

[Pyrpolizer]

4 euro per hour-full time and 5 euro per hour-part time

Good grief!

A whole 4 and 5 Euros per hour! Part time.

Would this person be able to live?

No! I get depressed seeing the younger generation working for peanuts. They usually live as unmarried couples. No plans for a family or marriage, they just join their salaries, and they just survive.They live for the day. No dreams no future planning.
Of course most of them get help from their parents.
I feel embarrassed as a parent that my generation achieved something, whereas the new generation has no chance.

In Greece the situation is even worse. In Portugal and Spain it's about the same as here.

[miltiades]

Since you state that you have been in business for some 35 years surely you must know that no business can operate on a " gross margin" of 400%, or even on 100.1%. Im sure you meant to say mark up.

[Sotos]

€4-€5 is perfectly fine for a waiter in Cyprus who will also collect tips. Cyprus isn't Monaco, and on top of that we have just been through a crisis. Secondly, waiters are not exactly highly skilled labor, so it is expected that their wages will be among the lowest.

If the government enforced higher minimum wage then their employers would not be able to afford them, many of those would close down, and unemployment would rise.

That's a myth Sotos. I am in business for the last 35 years and I can make an accurate estimate of the annual profits of any healthy business employing up to 30 people. Restaurants are seasonal business operating on a gross margin of standard 400%. Go eat fish at Mackenzie beach,if the gross cost is 20 you will pay 80 Euros. Instead of looking at the turnover though you can look at the number of employees.
10 employees means the boss makes a minimum nett profit of 1-2 times the profit of their salary. So a typical restaurant at Mackenzie beach with 10 employees would deliver a minimum of 10,000 Euros/month nett to the Boss.
The only way to make that business non profitable would be to Double or Triple the wages of the employees.

I see lots of restaurants, cafes etc that close down, so probably there are costs which you are not considering. Also it is expected that the boss would take more money IF he manages to have a successful business, as he is the one who invested his money and time and took the risks.

If things were any different then why wouldn't everybody be a boss? Instead of being a waiter somebody could just make his own restaurant and earn 10 times more. A bank would gladly loan him the capital if it was certain that his business would be successful.

[repulsewarrior]

...most small businesses do not survive because they do not keep good books.

...restaurants are 10 times more likely to fail than any other retail trade.

...even fifty years ago a person would take a job without asking the wage. When they were paid they stayed if it was worth it, they left if it was not.

...restaurants would hire waiters, and the waiter would pay for the privilege in those restaurants most profitable.

...while waiter and bartender do not seem like jobs for the future, they are; and with more automated intelligence replacing employees, in these jobs it is not likely. (imagine how truckdrivers feel at this moment)