Private electrical contractors have stepped in to remedy long-term power outages in places such as Long Beach in Iskele, Kibris Postasi reports.
On the 16th day of strike action by Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority Employees’ Union (El-Sen) who are protesting against the draft law amendment to the Public Procurement Act, which will permit the government to sign a long-term electricity supply contract with Turkish energy company AKSA, without going to tender.
The ongoing strike means that union members have not repaired any electrical faults, leading to long-term power cuts in some areas, in particular Long Beach in Iskele.
General Secretary of El-Sen Ahmet Tuğcu, to Kibris Postasi that the action continues and that the workers had not attended to any malfunctions in electricity supply.
Stating that a private company had stepped in to fix power outages at Long Beach and other regions, Tuğcu said, “It’s very confusing. A private company intervenes in long-term power cuts, not us”.
Kib-Tek’s Board of Directors warned that they will outsource electrical repairs to private contractors and also threatened striking union workers with either temporary suspension or permanent dismissal.
Tuğcu said that union representatives had had a meeting with the Minister of Economy and Energy Olgun Amcaoğlu again this morning. “Amcaoğlu had said that he conveyed the details of the talks to Prime Minister Ünal Üstün”, Tuğcu said.
He noted, however, that the union is still waiting to hear from the prime minister.
“We are still waiting for a response from the government”, said Tuğcu.
