Labour ministry checks on CBC building after elevated air readings

Labour ministry officials were at the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) building on Wednesday after air quality readings were flagged as higher than they should be, with staff given the option to work remotely until the end of next week.

A CBC source told the Cyprus Mail the readings for formaldehyde and volatile organic substances were “above the acceptable limit.”

Experts were called to the site, and they will undertake further readings to confirm the original ones. They will also prepare a report set to be finalised in 10 days. Until then, staff have been offered the chance to work remotely.

“As soon as we were alerted to this, the governor said the health and safety of staff is a priority,” the official said.

Officials from the labour department went to the CBC to hold a meeting with stakeholders and discuss how to move forward.

The union for bank employees (Etyk) in a circular said it had received a number of complaints over concerns on the matter. Etyk said it contacted the labour inspection department calling on it to take readings.

A similar incident took place in 2018 and it was resolved.