3,000 Turkish Cypriots working in the South
THERE are approximately 3,000 Turkish Cypriots working in South Cyprus, the head of the Türk-Sen trade union, Arslan Bıçaklı, has stated.
Mr Bıçaklı said that while some had found work “through their own means and acquaintances”, others had found employment in South Cyprus as part of a cooperation agreement between Türk-Sen and another union called Dev-İş, and the South’s Cyprus Workers Confederation (SEK).
Noting that the number of Turkish Cypriots who have applied to Türk-Sen seeking employment in South Cyprus is “around 600”, Mr Bıçaklı said that 500 of them have been sent to their “affiliated job centres” in the South and that around 400 have started working.
Mr Bıçaklı said that while Turkish Cypriots continue to apply to Türk-Sen to work in South Cyprus, language is “the biggest issue right now”.
Mr Bıçaklı said during a meeting held recently between TürkSen
and SEK officials, employment issues and other problems faced by Turkish Cypriots who currently work in the South and those who plan to work there, as well as the existing problems of those who receive and are due to receive a pension from South Cyprus, were discussed.
He said a joint committee was formed to “follow up and resolve the problems” and that a “protocol was signed to cooperate and act together on these issues”.
“We have been working in cooperation with the SEK union, which has been active in South Cyprus for many years,” Mr Bıçaklı said.
“Our goal is to enable Turkish Cypriots employed in the
South to work under the same conditions as Greek Cypriots.”
Mr Bıçaklı added that one of the main reasons that Turkish Cypriots want to work in South Cyprus is that they can earn more than double the salary they would earn in the TRNC.
“A person working in North Cyprus earns 8,000TL [a month] while they can earn 18,000TL for doing the same job in South Cyprus,” he said.
Pointing out that Turkish
Cypriots working in the South “earn an average monthly salary of 900 euros”, Mr Bıçaklı added that they “work eight hours” a day “and if they have to work longer, receive double per hour in overtime”.