Ahmet Tuğcu, leader of the Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority Employees Union (EL-SEN), held a press conference at Nicosia headquarters after meeting with board members of the Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority (KIB-TEK). He discussed the details of their meeting and recent protests. Tuğcu highlighted that the union had presented a 20-point demand list to the Prime Minister, focusing on job security and essential needs, Kibris Postasi reported.
Tuğcu stressed that the union is concerned about the lack of enforcement of the Occupational Safety Law at KIB-TEK, which was discussed in their recent meeting with the General Manager of KIB-TEK. He also criticised Prime Minister Ünal Üstel for allegedly using KIB-TEK for political gain.
Tuğcu clarified that EL-SEN did not walk out of the meeting with KIB-TEK management, contrary to accusations. They made it clear they intended to continue discussions and had covered ten of their demands. He noted that any work-related offences should not be assigned to positions where they could recur.
Tuğcu pointed out that there are no protests at KIB-TEK production sites or payment offices, but stressed the importance of addressing investment and job safety issues. The first ten points of their demand list focus on these areas, while the rest pertain to internal political matters. He underscored the union’s desire to avoid inconveniencing the public.
He stated that the collective bargaining agreement requires union members to be part of hiring interviews. He also raised concerns about the safety of new hires, citing an incident where a worker injured their foot due to inadequate safety footwear. Tuğcu questioned KIB-TEK Chairman of the Board, Hüseyin Paşa, about responsibility for job safety until proper equipment is provided and mentioned a recent purchase of $1.25 million worth of energy from South Cyprus. He questioned how this cost would be managed alongside a planned 16% price increase.
In a later report by Kibris Postasi, it said that EL-SEN stated that their strike actions, which started at 9.30 am today, have been suspended and that they will meet with KIB-TEK General Manager Dalman Aydın on Friday, August 9.