Cyprus is in a much better financial position than that of Germany after its reunification, because the economies on the two sides present more similar features, an International Labour Organisation officer said on Friday.
In the event of a solution of the Cyprus problem, the different wage levels in the northern Turkish occupied areas and the southern government controlled part of the country should be considered, Frank Hoffer, a senior research officer at the Bureau for Workers` Activities (ACTRAV) of the ILO told a conference held Friday by the All Cyprus Trade Unions Forum, in Nicosia.
Hoffer noted that any attempt to immediately increase wages in the north would shock the economy.
As he said, after Germany`s reunification there was an increase in wages between fifty and sixty per cent in East Germany which led many businesses to bankruptcy and between ten and fifteen per cent of the workforce moved to West Germany putting pressure on the labour market.
Hoffer said that if the level of the minimum wage is not the same on the two sides, there should be an adjustment period of one to two years.
Secretary General of the Turkish Cypriot trade union KTÖS, Şener Elcil said that the reunification of Cyprus will create a lot of opportunities, there will be no military expenditures, the ports will be opened and the tourist sector will be further developed.
Christos Karydis, an economist of the Greek Cypriot trade union SEK, said that the solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of UN resolutions and the European acquis will create new perspectives and dimensions for the country`s labour market.