Strikes over driving licence department ‘staff shortages’

STAFF at driving licence issuing centres in Girne and Lefkoşa have been holding strikes over claims by their trade unions that there is not enough staff to cope with the workload.

The Public Workers Union (Kamu-İş), the Cyprus Turkish Civil Servants Union (KTAMS), the Civil Servants Union (Kamu-Sen) and the Revenue and Tax Office Workers Union (Vergi-Sen) began their action with a one-day “warning strike” at the Lefkoşa Traffic Department Licence Division on Thursday last week.

In a statement read out in front of the Public Works and Transport Ministry, Kamu-İş chairman Ahmet Serdaroğlu said that staff shortages among the Lefkoşa driving licence team mean that work “is not proceeding as it should”, creating “torture” for members of the public and “provoking confrontations” between them and staff.

The chairman of the KTAMS, Güven Bengihan, claimed that the number of staff had been “reduced” because of “partisan” decisions, despite an “increase in workload”.

Mr Bengihan said that the team working in the driving licence division, “which collects 5 million TL per month”, has “fallen apart”.

Mr Bengihan alleged that some employees had been sent to “more comfortable jobs” at the Meteorology Department and the Geology

and Mining Department.

Reacting to criticism of the unions, Mr Bengihan said: “Our aim is to provide quality public services to the people in an efficient manner without disruption or delay and to ensure employees’ teamwork and motivation.”

On Tuesday Mr Bengihan announced that the strike had been extended to the driving licence office in Girne due to the government not taking a “single step” to resolve the issues.

He warned that the strikes will spread to all other driving licence centres and also the Motor Vehicle Registration Department if ministers remain quiet.