Sanctions on Cypriot firms leave employees without pay

The employees of two Cypriot firms which were recently sanctioned by the UK, on Thursday sent an open letter decrying the effects that the freezing of these companies’ accounts has had on them, saying that they are now “without work and without pay”.

Workers from DI Ross & Co Limited and Meritservus Secretaries, told the Central Bank of Cyprus, the Bank of Cyprus, and the Labour Ministry, that they have yet to receive any salary or other contributions for more than a week.

This is due to the Bank of Cyprus’ freezing of their employers’ accounts, in adherence with the sanctions mentioned above.

In their letter, the employees said that there is “a clear attitude of cold indifference to the workers in the companies in question”.

“It is unthinkable that in 2023, in a country in which the right to a salary is guaranteed both by law and through the various labour agreements that have been certified by the Central Bank, to deprive a large number of employees of their right to receive the wages and benefits that should rightfully be paid to them,” the letter stated.

On Tuesday, May 9, President Nikos Christodoulides said the government received the first batch of information on natural and legal persons on the US sanctions list. At the same time, two more sanction packages are expected soon.

Christodoulides added that he had spoken with the attorney-general and that he would immediately forward to him all the information so that the relevant authorities could start processing it.

In this context, Christodoulides stressed that “protecting the country’s name and credibility as a business and financial centre is of paramount importance”.

Meanwhile, a day later, Central Bank governor Constantinos Herodotou told the members of parliament at the House Institutions committee that “there has been no impact to Cyprus’ financial stability as a result of the sanctions, only to its international reputation”

Moreover, Herodotou explained that even though there is no legal framework that requires Cyprus to implement UK and US sanctions, not doing so would have detrimental effects on the economy.