She fought it but... she didn't make it! She leaves behind a commendable work that will forever remember her.
- Zeta Aimilianidou has passed away. Grief in the pancyprian[/B]
- Everyone says goodbye to Zeta... "We lost a great person"[/B]
As Minister, she had promoted a series of reforms concerning all areas of competence of the Ministry, with particular emphasis on social welfare, labour rights of workers and gender equality issues.
From Marketing
Zeta Aimylianidou was born in Nicosia. She holds a degree in Law from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a diploma in "Marketing Management" from the Cyprus Institute of Marketing. She has passed the examinations of the Cyprus Bar Association and has been a registered lawyer since 1978.
From 2001 to 2010 she was Director of the Customs Department and Value Added Tax Officer. She was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Ports Authority. From 2010 to 2013 she served as Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Trade, Industry and Tourism and also served as President of the Cyprus Energy Foundation and the Special Fund for Renewable Energy and Energy Saving.
During her long service, she was the head of the team that prepared the present Customs Legislation of the Republic of Cyprus and a member of the team that drafted and prepared the Value Added Tax Legislation. She is the author of the book entitled 'Value Added Tax in Cyprus' published in 1992, the year in which the VAT Law was first enacted. As Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Trade, Industry and Tourism she was responsible for the completion of the 2nd Round of Licensing of Offshore Hydrocarbons in Cyprus and was the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee, which by law was responsible for evaluating the applications of the companies that expressed interest, which eventually led to the signing of contracts for 5 blocks in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus.
For 9 years Minister of Labour
On 3 April 2013 she was appointed by the President of the Republic to the post of Minister of Labour and Social Insurance of the Republic of Cyprus, a post she has held until today. As Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, she promoted a series of reforms concerning all areas of competence of the Ministry, with particular emphasis on social welfare issues, labour rights of workers and gender equality issues. Currently, important reforms such as the establishment of a National Minimum Wage and a mechanism for determining and reviewing its level, the revision and modernisation of the Social Security Law and pension reform, as well as the process of digitisation of all benefits of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for better and more direct service to the citizen are in the process of implementation.
Among the most important reforms and policies she has promoted during her tenure as Minister of Labour and Social Insurance are the following:
- the Minimum Guaranteed Income and Social Benefits Legislation in general and the establishment of the Welfare Benefits Management Agency and the Social Benefits Registry for the proper control and application of eligibility criteria for all social benefits,
- Plan for the Restructuring and Modernisation of Social Welfare Services and the establishment of the State Ministry of Social Welfare,
- enhancing the standard of living of low pensioners by increasing their incomes above the poverty line, subsidies for care provision, free public transport, fully subsidised 4-day holidays and a number of other measures for the benefit of the elderly,
- establishment of a Third Age Institution
- provision of widow's pension for men under the same conditions as for women for the first time and the introduction of paid paternity leave,
- reintroduction of the Maternity Allowance and an amendment to the Child Benefit Law to broaden the criteria for large families,
- amendment of the Social Insurance Law to provide a special pension for persons with thalassaemia from the age of 50,
- establishment and implementation of the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Abuse and Child Pornography,
- creation of the Children's Home and the Women's Home to provide the necessary multidisciplinary support and address all forms of violence,
- creation of Community Houses in which people with severe disabilities live with the necessary support to avoid institutionalisation,
- preparation of the first National Disability Strategy 2018-2028 and its implementation according to specific timetables,
- recognition of maternity through surrogacy and provision of maternity allowance to both surrogate and biological mothers,
- an increase in maternity leave for the second and third or each subsequent child by four and eight weeks respectively, as well as an increase of an additional four and six weeks in the case of twins or triplets respectively.
- Institution of the Honorary Pension Increase for Warriors, Disabled and Prisoners of War 1974,
- establishment of the Single Inspection Service and introduction of deterrent administrative fines both for undeclared work and for violations of labour legislation regarding workers' rights,
- establishment and implementation of the Special Support Plans for Workers to deal with the Pandemic, COVID-19.
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
