HOUSEMAIDS from developing countries will find it that much harder to slip under the radar of immigration authorities, after new policy regulations introduced by the Ministry of the Interior.
The regulations aim to crack down on housemaids who make false allegations against their Cypriot employer so as to cancel their contract. They then switch employers or else take on a number of odd jobs, illegally.
There have been discussions for an increase in the minimum wage for housemaids working on the island, but even with a pay rise, it would still be more beneficial for them to work illegally. Most housemaids live together in old or derelict buildings, thus greatly reducing the cost of the rent.
Working for a number of different employers reaps better financial rewards as they are paid by the hour, whereas monthly pay is not as lucrative.
There are currently some 22,000 housemaids in Cyprus that have a work permit, while 2006 saw a drop in the number of applications from more than 11,500 during the two previous years, to less than one thousand.
According to press reports, hundreds of housemaids accused their employers of mistreating them in an attempt to gain work in a number of houses, something that would give them a much higher income. The employers, who had paid the cost of their transport to Cyprus, were left out to dry.
There was also talk of a ring of people working in cahoots with the housemaids in return for a cut on their earnings. Immigration has shot down these claims.
Nevertheless, the Interior Ministry does seem concerned enough to tighten the noose on those housemaids who try to beat the system.
Under the new policy, effective immediately, a housemaid will not be allowed to change employer during her first year of employment, except in extraordinary circumstances, such as when the employer dies, emigrates, is admitted to an old people’s home, or if the employer has committed a criminal offence against the housemaid.
Moreover, during a typical four-year contract, a housemaid cannot switch homes more than twice, unless a labour dispute arises that is adjudged in the housemaid’s favour.
Also, it is now prohibited to change homes after continuous employment of three-and-a-half years. The exception to this is if the foreign national has lived on the island for five continuous years, giving them the right to apply for a long-term residency.
In the event a housemaid has vanished and is wanted by police, or in the event she has applied for political asylum and her employer wants to hire a new person, the relevant department will take into account how many times previously the same employer has been abandoned. If this has occurred more than twice, permission may be denied to the employer to hire a new housemaid.
