General Strike by 32 Unions tomorrow

Burak Maviş, General Secretary of the Cyprus Turkish Teachers' Union (KTÖS), stated on behalf of the unions, "We, as unions united against the government's attempts to impoverish the public and reduce the salaries and purchasing power of all pensioners and wage earners, announce that we will be on strike at all our workplaces tomorrow."

The unions consider the proposed bill aimed at limiting the right to collective bargaining agreements (CBA) and restricting the rights gained or to be gained through these agreements as an "attack on organized labor." The proposed legislation to eliminate consolidated cost-of-living increases is viewed as reducing the real value of wages and diminishing citizens' purchasing power.

The statement emphasized that unions will fight against policies that target workers' rights to a dignified life and aim to push them into poverty. "This is not only the unions' struggle, but the struggle of the entire people," the statement noted, calling on chambers, unions, opposition political parties, and citizens to join the strike and protest.

The unions declared, "Tomorrow, December 26, we will be on general strike and will hold a rally in front of the Parliament. We will remain on strike until the bill is withdrawn, and we will not adhere to any strike ban if imposed. We are organized, we are right, and we will stand against impoverishment and destitution together."