Targeted inspections to weed out undeclared workers in the agricultural sector, animal husbandry, wholesale markets and packaging plants carried out in April by the ministry of labour revealed 14 undeclared workers.

Moreover, two companies were found to be breaking employment laws and were fined €25,000.

The purpose of the campaign was to raise awareness of all those involved in these economic activities regarding the consequences of undeclared work and non-compliance with the provisions of the relevant legislation.

Checks were made regarding the observance of basic employment conditions such as salary, working hours, and time off.

In total, 101 establishments and 311 workers, of which 183 were men and 128 were women, were checked throughout the month.

Of the total number of workers identified, 172 were Cypriots, 48 were from EU countries and 91 were third-country nationals.

According to the law if an undeclared worker is found, an administrative fine of €500 is issued, multiplied by seven months unless the employer proves that the period of work was shorter.

If it turns out that the period of the violation was longer, the fine is multiplied by the total number of months of illegal employment.

The labour inspection department has a special number 77778577 that people can call anonymously to report violations or breach of working conditions.