The members of the Parliamentary Finance Committee discussed the final steps of the pending legislation regarding the regulation of telecommuting and the possibility of reduced employment of civil servants.
Regarding the regulation of teleworking, the First Officer of Public Administration and Personnel at the Department of Public Administration and Personnel of the Ministry of Finance, Maria Kleanthus-Kalli, stated that the Department revised the text of the bill after consultation and with the assistance of the Legal Service in order to clarify mainly health and safety issues.
The representatives of the Department of Labor Inspection stated in turn that the responsibility of the employer for the implementation of teleworking is absolute, adding that special regulation is needed to take necessary health and safety measures at work.
The representatives of PASYDY expressed their agreement with the changes regarding the issuance of guidelines by the Ministry of Finance for taking protective measures for employees, as in this way the prevention of any accidents or other risks is strengthened.
DISY MP, Onufrios Koullas, expressed his party's agreement with the content of the changes and asked if there is a study on the implementation rate of teleworking in the private sector.
For his part, AKEL MP Andreas Kavkalias said that a text agreed by all sides came to the committee, however some issues remain.
Specifically, he stated that in his opinion there is a gap in terms of competent authority and competent minister for the implementation of the legislation.
He also highlighted issues related to the employees' accommodation for the performance of their duties, while he questioned whether the transfer of responsibilities to the employee for ensuring working conditions conflicts with the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
He also questioned what the bill says about employees' right to disconnect.
In response, Ms. Cleanthous-Kalli stated that the implementation of telework is left to the relevant supervisor, adding that the Ministry of Finance is responsible for the implementation of the law, which issues guidelines.
On the term "place of residence", he said that this was chosen so that there would be no issues of permanent or country residence from where employees can work, adding that the Department's intention was to ensure that eligibility conditions were met.
Regarding the right to disconnect, he said that the obligation of employers is based on the observance of normal public service hours.
The representatives of the Department of Labor Inspection said in relation to the observation of a possible conflict with the Health and Safety at Work Act that the responsibility remains with the employer, while the employee is required to complete a relevant questionnaire based on relevant good practice.
Representatives of the Ministry of Labor added regarding the implementation in the private sector that teleworking is mainly used by large companies, adding that there is currently no relevant study, with DIKO MP Chrysis Pantelidis noting that it would be interesting to conduct a future study on the implementation of teleworking.
The second part of the discussion focused on the regulation of reduced employment, with Mrs. Kleanthous-Kalli mentioning that specific corrections were made to the names of departments and ministries in order to update the information and cover services with special hours.
He added that reduced employment of up to 2 hours per day is foreseen for parents with children up to 15 years old, as well as for employees with health problems and disabilities.
When asked by Mr. Kavkalias if there was a consultation with the Cyprus Confederation of Organizations of the Disabled (KYSOA), Mrs. Cleanthus-Kalli said that there was no dialogue with KYSOA.
He added that disability issues were dealt with on the basis of fitness to perform duties, considering that those hired in the public service meet the relevant criteria, while in case of worsening problems, other options are considered.
He added that this is a regulation policy for other groups as well, with 2 hours being chosen as the maximum possible for services to run smoothly and tasks to be performed.
Mr. Kavkalias replied that the reasonable adaptations to serve people with disabilities should also be considered, noting at the same time that the regulation may move outside the framework of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Mrs. Cleanthus replied that the aim of the department is to pass the legislation before December, otherwise it will not be possible to implement the reduced employment from 1/1/2026, while she proposed either to hold a meeting with KYSOA, or to implement the regulation and to deal with any issues that arise along the way.
In closing, Mr. Pantelidis suggested that contacts be made within the month with KYSOA and that a new session be set for discussion in the committee after the completion of the consultation.
