Electricity union cuts power to government departments
THE electricity of all of the government offices was cut off on Tuesday as part of a protest conducted by the Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority Workers’ Union (El-Sen).
The cutting off of the government’s electricity came as part of an ongoing protest being conducted by El-Sen against the government.
The protest began at 8am on Tuesday, with employees of the Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority (Kıb-Tek) ceasing work and gathering outside of the authority’s building in Lefkoşa.
The action won the support of various other trade unions, with El-Sen’s chairman Kubilay Özkıraç being joined by the chairman of the Cyprus Turkish Trade Unions’ Federation (TürkSen), Arslan Bıçaklı, and the Municipal Workers’ Union (BES) chairman Koral Aşam in order to make statements to the press.
Mr Özkıraç began his statement by saying that his union is open to meeting with the government, but expressed his firm opposition to the prospect of the privatisation of KıbTek, claiming that KıbTek is being forced to sell electricity at prices below cost, in order to drive it into bankruptcy and thereafter make the case for privatisation.
‘AN INSTITUTION’
He added that Kıb-Tek is an institution that makes up one of the core values of the Turkish Cypriots, and that it must not be sold.
He added that El-Sen will spare the wider society from their protests, only targeting government offices with their switch-offs.
Türk-Sen chairman Arslan Bıçaklı also made a statement, chastising the government for what he perceives to be driving KıbTek to ruin.
He said: “The target is clear, they will destroy the place, then they will say to the public that it went bankrupt, and it owed two trillion . . . They’re doing this on purpose.”
Koral Aşam, chairman of BES, also took a swipe at the government during his speech, saying: “Is this state [working] for the people, or are the people [slaves to] the state? How much of a state is a state that cannot serve its own people and society?”
He went on to call for the creation of a method to subsidise Kıb-Tek so it can provide affordable electricity while not making financial losses.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, two Kıb-Tek workers were arrested on suspicion of theft after being caught taking six fuses worth 685TL off the mains board of the Güzelyurt offices of the Social Security Department, Labour Department and Provident Fund Department.