In his opening remarks, El-Sen President Ahmet Tuğcu highlighted their dual mission: safeguarding the social, economic, professional, and personal rights of their members and improving working conditions, while also striving to secure the future of KIB-TEK, driven by their social responsibility.
Tuğcu asserted, “Our members are our greatest strength as we confidently progress towards these objectives. Success is unattainable for any leadership lacking the backing of its members“.
He criticised the government and the appointed administrators for viewing KIB-TEK merely as a political and economic asset, accusing them of being willing to privatise the public institution for their own gain without hesitation.
Tuğcu pointed out the deliberate lack of investment in the institution, leading to dependency on Turkish private energy company AKSA due to the lack of power plant investments. He noted the hypocrisy of cutting off electricity to citizens with 675 TL debts while extending significant financial favours to Emrullah Turanlı, adding, “The reason behind these actions is clear. Such a management approach will ultimately result in KIB-TEK’s closure“.
Despite the attempts to undermine their struggle using underhanded tactics, Tuğcu vowed to continue their fight against these irregularities, with the support of the members, to protect their institution from exploitative interests.
He warned that if KIB-TEK is driven to bankruptcy and privatised, both the community and employees would suffer the consequences. Tuğcu stressed, “We must collectively defend our institution. We will resist privatisation efforts and unify for AUTONOMY to free the institution from these harmful political schemes. A robust membership and trust-based support are crucial for effective union struggle“.
Following Tuğcu’s speech, TÜRK-SEN General President Arslan Bıçaklı discussed ‘The Union Movement in TRNC,’ Economist Prof. Dr. Erdal Güryay spoke on ‘Privatisation and Autonomy in TRNC,’ and METRON Research Institution Director and Communication Specialist Gürdal Hüdaoğlu gave a presentation on ‘Corporate Communication.’
The Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority Employees Union (El-Sen) held the first session of its Union Training Seminar for members on Wednesday, June 26, at the Dome Hotel in Kyrenia. This seminar series, which will continue on July 4 and July 11, aims to educate members on the significance of union advocacy.
