Trade unions threaten a general strike

A GROUP of 24 trade unions on Wednesday threatened to bring life in the TRNC to a “standstill” unless the government drops plans to amend labour rights laws.

Representatives of the trade unions held a protest outside the offices of Prime Minister Ersan

Saner, who was in Turkey at the time.

They held a banner that read: “Appointed Prime Minister take your hands off the worker’s bread.”

A joint press statement warned that a general strike will be held across the country if debates in Parliament begin on the Draft Labour (Amendment) Bill and Draft Collective Bargaining Strike and Referendum (Amendment) Bills.

The unions claim that the proposed legal amendments aim to “abolish collective bargaining agreements and related rights, therefore disbanding the unity of organised unions”.

Municipal Workers’ Union president Mustafa Yalınkaya, who spoke at the protest, said that “all the country’s trade unions were in front of the Prime Ministry to issue a warning” that if the government takes “one more step on this matter” then the unions will “make life difficult for them”.

“They may occupy their offices but we want to remind you that the streets are ours,” Mr Yalınkaya said, adding that the “time has come for those who usurped the rights of the workers” to be held “accountable”.

“Collective bargaining agreements are the honour, the future and the constitution of the worker,” he continued.

“We will never let them take that away from us. It’s not our problem where they get their instructions from. They may attempt to rule this country with instructions to occupy those seats but workers will not bow to their instructions.”

Following the speech, Revolutionary Workers’ Unions Federation head Koral Aşam handed a “memorandum” to Prime Ministry undersecretary Hüseyin Amcaoğlu to deliver to Mr Saner.