One in four working Cypriots can’t afford holidays

Cyprus was the EU member state with the second highest percentage of workers who couldn’t afford to go on holiday in 2022, Eurostat data for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) revealed on Tuesday.

The ETUC says countries with the highest percentage of workers who couldn’t afford holidays were Romania at 35.8 per cent, Cyprus at 24.9 per cent and Greece at 24.8 per cent.

“Romania’s situation is likely to have improved since then as the government has subsequently brought in a 23 per cent increase to its minimum wage and strengthened workers’ power to bargain collectively for better wages,” the ETUC added.

The number of workers who can’t afford a week’s holiday has increased by more than two million across the EU.

“An estimated 39.7 million working people (15 per cent) could not afford a week’s holiday away from home, either in their own country or abroad, in 2022 – up from 37.6 million (14 per cent) in 2021,” the ETUC said.

It added that the biggest increase in holiday poverty came in France, where almost a million more hardworking people were forced to stay at home.

Italy still has the highest number of workers who can’t afford a break (6.074.387) despite a decrease.

The figures for 2023 could be even worse following a record increase in the cost of holidays last summer combined with falling real wages across the EU last year due to profit-driven inflation.

“The findings show the need for the EU and member states to ensure all workers benefit from collective bargaining. Not only does collective bargaining deliver fairer pay, but workers who are covered also enjoy up to two weeks more holiday every year,” the ETUC said.

EU leaders have since adopted the Minimum Wage directive which requires all members states to promote collective bargaining and ensure that at least 80 per cent of workers are covered by collective agreements.

The ETUC warned member states that the deadline to put the Minimum Wages Directive into national law is on 15 November 2024.

“A holiday is not a luxury, having time away with family is key for protecting the physical and mental health of workers along with providing valuable experiences for children,” ETUC general secretary Esther Lynch said.

He added that “the growth in the number of working-class families who could afford a holiday was one of Europe’s great social advances of the 20th century.

“These figures show how social progress is being reversed as a result of increased economic inequality.”