Unions threaten more strikes as prices go on rising

THE devaluing Turkish lira is continuing to “drag the TRNC into chaos”, it was claimed, as electricity workers, prison warders and public transport drivers all threatened strike action.

As household bills continue to rocket in the deepening economic crisis, however, measures were announced to help protect consumers against profiteering by shops.

Electricity workers’ union ElSen said its members would consider downing tools if the government did not act to address KıbTek debts, claimed to have more than tripled in the last six months.

Union head Kubilay Özkıraç told “This is very bad for the authority. It is up to the government to sort it out. We have given continuous warnings for it to deal with the issue and if does not act soon we will meet to re-evaluate our position and consider going on strike.”

Prison warders said they would leave their posts if salaries were not increased by Monday evening.

“We have 530 inmates in the central prison which has an official capacity of 180,” said İzzet Türkmen, head of their Hak-Sen union.

“The overcrowding has created inhumane conditions for both warders and inmates. The prison has turned into a home for rats, snakes, scorpions, waste and disease while the rights of our workers to a sliding scale method of payment has been ignored for 40 years. Our members are not slaves!”

Meanwhile, talks to prevent a mass walk-out of public transport drivers were temporarily suspended in the wake of a 20 per cent hike in fuel prices, despite failure to reach agreement on increasing their fees.

The Kar-İş union, whose members include drivers who take children to and from schools, cancelled strike action planned for Monday after the government requested a meeting with its leaders.

“We were in a meeting with Finance Minister Serdar Denktaş on Wednesday when news came that the cost of fuel was to be increased by 20 per cent [1TL],” said union head Fuat Topaloğlu.

“We said there was no point in continuing discussions because all calculations had become obsolete. Mr Denktaş asked to see us again at a later date with fresh calculations. We have therefore not come to an agreement but have suspended our strike for now.

“Our members are making major losses and the situation has become even worse following the fuel price increase. We will all go bankrupt if financial assistance does not arrive quickly.”

As tensions increased, opposition National Unity Party (UBP) leader Hüseyin Özgürgün said on Thursday: “There is a real economic crisis which is becoming worse each day and dragging our country into chaos.

“The government has chosen to introduce price hikes across the board without helping sectors most affected by providing subsidies. The incompetence of the government is sky-high and the public is being made to pay for it.”

The Council of Ministers announced on Wednesday that inspectors would be given additional powers to monitor retailers and ensure that they did not impose excessive price increases during the TL crisis.

A decree announcing the move, published in the Official Gazette, said the extra inspection powers were aimed at “protecting consumers against additional difficulties in the wake of abnormal prices in this period of fluctuating foreign currency rates”.

Alsancak Municipality took early action this week when its inspectors carried out spot-checks at local supermarkets to ensure that price increases were justified.