Cyprus minimum wage up 1.7% to 870 euros

The minimum wage at professional-entry level in Cyprus is expected to rise by 1.7% or 15 euros to 870 euros, while after six months of service, the minimum wage should go up to 924 euros.
The increase is in line with the latest rise in the cost of living allowance (COLA), a wage indexation system adjusted every six months. The minimum wage was raised 4% last year and 4.8% in 2010.
Labour and Social Insurance Minister Sotiroula Charalambous is expected to submit the proposal to the Council of Ministers for approval, despite the demand from employers to reduce the minimum wage, a route Athens has taken to help make the Greek economy more competitive.
The Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEV) had sought a 15% reduction in the minimum wage, a demand that the trade unions and the communist government refused to consider.
The increase is expected to kick in retrospectively from April wages and affects some 55,000 workers.