Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Everyone knows that to work in this country you MUST have a work permit, if not and you are caught it will cost someone around 13,000tl

Here are two examples I have had related by someone associated with one of the victims. The first was working in an office and an officer from the Employment Office called in asked for permits and when not forthcoming handed out an instant fine of 13.000tl. All of this was paid by the employer.

The second case was someone working as a gardener at a private house. As it happens it was the same official who visited and handed the house owner the fine of 13.000tl. In both cases it was apparent that the officer did not call on spec, someone had contacted the local "crimestoppers".

The interesting point to me is that in the case of the gardener it was the homeowner as the employer who must pay the fine. To put this into the context of the taxi driver scenario, the passenger as the employer of the driver would be obliged to pay the fine.

Do not know if there is a purge or just chance that this has happened to someone I know personally and makes it more pronounced.

Been informed by my TC husband that their is a serious 'purge' on at the minute.

mm when did they put the fine up it was 6500tl before and the risk of deportation

Got to try and remember conversation from 24 hours ago!!!!!! 6.500 for employer and 6.500 for employee both to be paid by employer. This is first hand from the perpetrator. I know nothing else.

ah ok now it makes sense cheers

Although off the topic of work permits, but on the topic of purges, my Cypriot friend was stopped in Girne for having a light out and fined 150 lira, and she said there are police everywhere in the evenings around Girne a the moment,, looking out for people to stop.

13th payment spring to mind

According to the local news this evening, there has been an exodus from the TRNC of 17,000 mainlanders, mainly construction workers and waiters.

I wonder why?

When you see the number of deserted building sites it is hardly surprising that both legal and illegal construction workers are leaving. Much of the construction sector survives on illegal work force. The same with bars and restaurant closures, there are quite a number closing permanently and closing for winter because of lack of trade.

Similarly many people who came from UK not aware of the impracticalities of working here are returning very much worse off in the pocket.
If there was a system of self employment such as in UK the coffers here would soon have lots of money rolling in as many of those working without permits would gladly sign up to pay tax and social payments. Many of those working only do so because they have been left massivly in debt by a corrupt system that allowed builders to default without penalty.

So who is to blame for the alleged large number of illegal workers? Answer on the back of a postage stamp would cover the answer.

as for bars and restaurants am sure they would employ more legal people if you could have part timers, as it is now you have to pay there full insurance per month even if they only do 1 hour, and lets be honest most places are busy at certain times not all the time so it would make sense to have a few people doing part time and a small core of full timers

andrew,
Seeing a water tanker on one side of road and a ready mix wagon other both receiving tickets this morning I can only agree with your comment regarding 13th month!

Back on topic again andrew, I was not aware of the social payments being the same for full and PT staff. Again what a bonus the coffers would receive by allowing permits for PT staff given an available proportional payment.

Again the authorities are missing out by being so single minded in their approach. Lateral thinking does not exist in the authoritarian state. If those in charge were prepared to listen to anything other than Cyprus Think they would earn a fortune but they are so insular that the only way is CYPYUS!!!!

Regarding work permits - does anyone know whether Students here on a Visa for Education can work legally?

As far as I am aware a student may work a certain number of hours a week. this is pretty standard in most countries where students come from outside the country where the university is situated. I had an idea that it is o nly 20 hours a week, but I know students that do a 12 hour day 6 days a week, but maybe they have permission. ???? If there are any students reading this perhaps they could clarify.

cyprusishome wrote:Everyone knows that to work in this country you MUST have a work permit, if not and you are caught it will cost someone around 13,000tl.

That's not exactly true,is it!

Bother, it is rainin again!!!

Interesting statistics, those 17000 returned mainlanders, nearly all construction workers. Who keeps the statistics. Interesting that they are that up to date on it, or is it a useful number plucked from the air. Me, cynical? never! Just a realist. But i would like to know who compiles these statistics and how? Do they ask everyone going why they are leaving the island?????

Very interesting! I wonder if they can also tell us how many ex-pats are also leaving due to dissatisfaction with the country??
BRS tried to bring up subject of self-employment - but no one seemed to want to discuss it, or in some cases really understood what was meant. Sand and ostriches? we have managed to get most of the info on work permits, that they would give us and it is on the web site.

I wonder who would be expected to foot the bill if the owner was not at home at the time the illegal worker was caught!!!???

A student is allowed to work 20 hours. The employer has to submit a schedule of hours to be worked which has to be approved by the Çalışma Dairesi (work office) who must be happy the work is not going to interfere with studies. But students - BEWARE. Someone I know was questioned by the tax office recently because they had it in their heads (!) that the student had not been attending lessons, so they were questioning the validity of their student permit!

I think this is definitely the time of 'the 13th month'!

With reference to Marion's question re statistics, I think the answer may be that the computer which immigration/passport control uses , seems to be pretty efficient* , and they can get figures of nationality and occupation from that pretty easily.

*it actually worked in my favour because I presented a passport which made it appear that I had arrived in N. Cyprus out of thin air. After the initial puzzlement and concern, as soon as the Officer realised that was because it had been recently renewed, he was able to pull details out of the computer in seconds and wave me though with a laugh!

*if using "computer" and "efficient" in the same sentence isnt an oxymoran!

Marions wrote:As far as I am aware a student may work a certain number of hours a week. this is pretty standard in most countries where students come from outside the country where the university is situated. I had an idea that it is o nly 20 hours a week, but I know students that do a 12 hour day 6 days a week, but maybe they have permission. ???? If there are any students reading this perhaps they could clarify.

marion i was intrigued by the comment about the students that you know working 6 days a week for 12hrs a day that's 72 hours per week how do they attend collage? i think you find this is what there on about people coming here as students and then working illegally i would not mention the place there working in if i were you

So, Is it the case,as I have surmised from reading this thread, that if the young chap who does my garden (he is a Pakistani who works at a local restaurant in the evenings) is caught on my premises working for me as a casual labourer by the authorities-does this mean I will be fined?
Even though he probably has 20 other gardening customers,and his main employer is the restaurant?

That is alarming if it is the case.

Also,Imagine this scenario.
I have a night out in Girne- get in a taxi to take me home,the driver is stopped by the police and it turns out he doesn't have a work permit-does this make me his 'employer' at that moment in time and therefore liable for a fine?

Of course I won't mention the place/pla\ces, Andrew. This has been going on a long time. Whose fault is it - the student or the company that employs them. they seem to manage to get to lectures and take time off in term time, and then work hard to earn money. with 24 hours in a day, it means they can work for 12, get to lectures and get some sleep too.

Many of them give up after a while and it is a very fluid business. from what I understand, and I could be wrong (it has been known), it seems impossible to get work for just 20 hours a week - but on the other side of the coin, I don't think any locals would want to do the job. Some do have work permits of course, but they cost money and students come and go.

difficult situation which maybe the government should take another look at, but it IS a difficult situation all round. As someone says ' if I have someone do my garden who does another 19 of them, who is the employer?' \it is also difficult for the government as well.