Employment practice equivalent rights outsourcing

CUT has an institutional framework that promotes equivalent rights and fair working conditions for workers involved in outsourced activities. When outsourcing services or activities to third parties (contractors, suppliers, service providers), CUT requires these partners to respect labour standards, human rights, and ethical employment practices, in accordance with national and EU legislation.

CUT’s Employment Policy Against Modern Slavery applies to all individuals and entities working for or on behalf of the University, including contractors, suppliers, external consultants, and other partners. The Policy clearly states that CUT expects the same high ethical standards from all its partners as those applied to its own employees, ensuring that all business relationships are free from modern slavery, forced labour, human trafficking, and child labour.

In practice, when CUT outsources activities to third parties:

Outsourcing and equivalent rights

• CUT expects outsourced workers to enjoy fair working conditions and respect for their basic employment rights, including dignity at work, safe working environments, and lawful working hours and compensation, consistent with the standards applied to CUT’s own staff.
• However, CUT recognises that these workers are employed directly by external organisations, which are responsible for managing their own employment conditions.

Contractual and legal obligations for third parties

• Through its procurement procedures and tender documentation, CUT requires all economic operators (tenderers, contractors, suppliers) to comply with the Cyprus Public Procurement Law [Law 73(I)/2016] (Article 4) and all applicable environmental, social, and labour law obligations.
• In line with Article 3(α) of the Law, CUT, as a contracting authority, incorporates measures within its procurement procedures to promote and support compliance by economic operators with the relevant provisions of EU law, national legislation, collective agreements, and international conventions on social and labour law, including the prohibition of modern slavery, human trafficking, and child labour.
• These requirements are clearly included in tender documents and contracts, ensuring that third-party employers are contractually bound to comply with relevant labour standards and ethical obligations.

Monitoring and enforcement

• CUT promotes compliance mainly through its procurement and contract management processes, and it reserves the right to terminate a contract or cooperation if a contractor or supplier is found to violate the University’s policies or applicable labour and human rights legislation.
• While CUT cannot directly monitor the day-to-day working conditions within external organisations, it actively uses these contractual and legal mechanisms to promote lawful, fair, and ethical employment practices in all outsourced activities.

Through its Employment Policy Against Modern Slavery, its procurement framework, and adherence to the Cyprus Public Procurement Law [Law 73(I)/2016], CUT practices among its external partners and seeks to encourage the safeguarding of equivalent rights and fair treatment for workers involved in outsourced activities, while recognising that such workers are employed directly by independent third-party organisations.