📖 Worker Guide · Cyprus

Sunday Pay in Cyprus — What Are You Entitled To?

Sunday is not just another working day in Cyprus. For most hospitality workers, the law provides significantly enhanced pay for Sunday work. If you worked Sundays and were paid at your normal rate, you may be owed the difference.

Pay Rates at a Glance

Monday – Friday

Normal rate for contracted hours

Saturday

Normal rate — premium only if it exceeds contracted weekly hours (1.5x overtime)

Sunday
2x
Every hour worked on Sunday — catering & restaurant sector

Public Holidays
2x
Every hour worked on a public holiday

⚠ Hotel Workers — Important Distinction

If you work in a hotel, your Sunday and public holiday premium rates are set by hotel employment regulations or your collective agreement — not by the same rules that apply to restaurant and catering workers. Your contract or union agreement is the primary source of your Sunday rate. If you are unsure what applies, ask Niki or consult your union.

What the Law Says

⚖

Catering and restaurant workersFor workers in restaurants, bars, cafés, and catering operations, Sunday work attracts a double pay (2x) premium for every hour worked. This applies regardless of whether Sunday falls within your contracted hours.

📅

Saturday is a weekdaySaturday carries no automatic premium. It is treated the same as a weekday. You are only entitled to overtime pay (1.5x) if working on Saturday causes your total hours for the week to exceed your contracted weekly hours.

🏨

Hotel workersPremium pay for hotel workers on Sundays and public holidays is governed by hotel employment regulations and applicable collective agreements. The Hotel Industry Decree (K.D.P. 55/2025) sets role-based minimum wages — it does not set Sunday premium rates.

🗓

Public holidaysWorking on a public holiday entitles you to double pay (2x) in the catering sector. Public holidays are separate from Sunday entitlements — both can apply if a Sunday falls on a public holiday.

Common Situations

🔴

Paid normal rate for SundaysIf you regularly worked Sundays and were paid at your normal hourly or daily rate with no Sunday premium, you may be owed the difference going back to the start of your employment.

🔴

No payslips to verifyWithout payslips you cannot confirm what rate you were paid. This is itself a separate breach — you are entitled to request full payslip records.

🟡

Told Sunday is included in your salaryIf your employer claims your salary already includes Sunday premium, this should be clearly set out in your written contract with the calculation shown. A vague statement is not sufficient.

🟢

Paid 2x for every Sunday hourIf you received double pay for all Sunday hours worked, your Sunday pay is likely correct for the catering sector.

What You Can Do

Calculate what you may be owedCount the Sunday hours worked and multiply by your normal hourly rate. The 2x premium means you should have received double that amount. The difference is what may be owed.

Request your payslipsAsk your employer in writing for all payslips showing the pay rate applied to Sunday hours. WorkerShield can generate this request as part of a full assessment (€10).

Write a formal letterA professional resolution letter setting out the Sunday premium owed and requesting payment is the first step before any formal complaint.

File a complaintIf your employer does not respond, file a complaint with the Department of Labour Inspection (tel: +357 22 405 600) or apply to the Industrial Disputes Tribunal. Time limit: 3 months from the incident.

Frequently Asked Questions

For workers in the catering and restaurant sector in Cyprus, Sunday work attracts a double pay (2x) premium for every hour worked. Hotel workers should check their employment contract or collective agreement as hotel-specific regulations apply.

Saturday is treated as a normal weekday in Cyprus — there is no automatic Saturday premium. You are only entitled to overtime pay (1.5x) if working on Saturday causes your total weekly hours to exceed your contracted hours.

Hotel workers Sunday and public holiday premium rates are set by hotel employment regulations and applicable collective agreements, not by the same rules that apply to restaurant workers. Check your contract or consult your union.

Yes. If you were not paid the correct Sunday premium, you may be able to claim the difference through the Department of Labour Inspection or the Industrial Disputes Tribunal. The time limit is 3 months from the incident, or 6 years for a contract breach claim.

Your employer must be able to show clearly in your written contract how your salary was calculated and that it included Sunday premiums. A vague statement is not sufficient. You are entitled to a written breakdown.

Not sure if your Sunday pay was correct?

Ask Niki free — or get a full Employment Rights Assessment for €10.

💬 Ask Niki Free Start Assessment →