Council staff back after strike action

STAFF at crisis-hit Yenierenköy Municipality were back at work this week after being paid three months’ worth of missing wages — as renewed warnings were made over the future of councils in Esentepe and Lapta.

Over 100 employees at Yenierenköy Municipality, who had been on an unofficial protest since January which saw them provide only burial and emergency services, were paid their October, November and December salaries after the government made an emergency cash transfer.

In February the local authority’s mayor and 10 councillors resigned, claiming the cost of repaying millions of Turkish lira in debts to central government had crippled the council.

Last week ministers suggested that it may have to be merged with neighbouring Dipkarpaz Municipality, raising the prospect of job losses.

On Wednesday workers began clearing stinking mounds of rubbish that had piled up in Yenierenköy and its surrounding villages, supported by teams from Dipkarpaz and Mehmetçik municipalities.

Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman had earlier met with Yenierenköy Municipality employees in Lefkoşa in private to discuss their long-term outlook, which had been the subject of a debate in Parliament on Monday.

Those attending the meeting later claimed the PM had said they would be “sacked” and their workplace “shut down”.

They would receive “compensation” and “grants” to start their own businesses, it was reported.

It was also claimed by workers at the meeting that Lapta and Esentepe municipalities “would be closed down too” because of their own debts.

Mustafa Yalınkaya, head of the BES union which represents local government workers, told Cyprus Today yesterday that he was opposed to redundancies.

“Almost all . . . councils have financial problems,” he said. “What is needed is to find a solution by January 2020 [otherwise] we will all be in the same boat.

“The government needs to find a solution . . . without hindering the rights of workers.”

Mr Yalınkaya added that he had spoken to Lapta Mayor Fuat Namsoy yesterday morning, who had “assured him” that he had found “financial resources” to resolve salary payment delays.

Last month Mr Yalınkaya had warned that Esentepe and Lapta could be the next councils to be plunged into “chaos” because of the cost of paying back debts, such as unpaid social security and Provident Fund payments.

He had said some workers had not been paid for five months. Mr Namsoy and Esentepe Mayor Cemal Erdoğan both played down the warnings at the time.

Mr Namsoy was unavailable for further comment yesterday.