3-Month Delays in Unemployment Cheques

There are have been delays of up to three months for unemployed people waiting for their benefits cheques to arrive, said several citizens speaking to radio station Kanali 6 in Limassol.

The 'Citizen's Microphone' programme had several callers this morning saying that they had been waiting for three months for their unemployment cheques. The jobless rate has risen steadily since the beginning of the year, overwhelming the Social Insurance and Labour departments with a flood of unemployment applications, according to a member of the jobs bureau in Larnaca.

"The applications have to go to Nicosia to be approved and they have a lot of work, so by the time the signatures are made for cheques, it takes at least three months," said the state employee, speaking on condition of anonymity.

So what are unemployed people supposed to live on during those three months without income?

"That's the question," said another Labour department employee in Limassol, shrugging.

In August, the number of unemployed rose 2.4 percent to 23, 752 persons. The Ministry of Labour is making intensive efforts to clear the backlog of pending cheques, said a spokeswoman speaking to CyprusNewsReport.com.

"By the end of one week all cheques will be sent to unemployed people who signed on in July," said the spokeswoman, adding that Ministry of Labour personnel are working afternoons and weekends to clear the backlog.