Αντιπροσωπεία 10 τ/κ συνδικάτων στις Βρυξέλλες

Η ανεξάρτητη από τα κόμματα αριστερή συνιστώσα της τ/κ Συνδικαλιστικής Πλατφόρμας μετέφερε την κραυγή των τ/κ στις Βρυξέλλες, όπου εκπρόσωποι 10 συνδικάτων, πραγματοποίησαν συμβολική διαμαρτυρία με συνθήματα

“Turkey respect the will of the Turkish Cypriots”

“EU act now against the turksih cypriot extinction”

“Solution now. Independent, united, federal Cyprus”

τα 10 συνδικάτα είναι τα εξής ΚΤΟΣ (δασκάλων), ΚΤΟΕΟΣ (καθηγητών) ΚΤΑΜΣ (δημοσίων υπαλλήλων) ΜΠΕΣ (δημοτικών υπαλλήλων) Μπασιν Σεν (τυπογράφων) Ντάου μπιρ Σεν (υπαλλήλων πανεπιστημίου Μέσης Ανατολής) Κοοπ σεν (συνεργατικών υπαλλήλων) Τιπ ις (γιατρών) Τζια σεν (εργατών στα δημόσια έργα) και Γκουτς σεν (τελωνειακών υπαλλήλων)

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The Truth of Cyprus and the Current Developments

The ‘Platform’ formed by 28 trade unions with aims of eliminating the deadlock on the Cyprus problem; establishing the United Federal Cyprus within the framework of UN parameters; realising self-governance by the Turkish Cypriots and ensuring respect for democracy, human rights and for labour in the land, has been continuing its struggle for many years.

All Cypriots suffer as a result of the unresolved Cyprus problem. Because of the failure of the Turkish Cypriot leadership, the Turkish Cypriot community have been regarded as the side which was “against” the solution. Between 2002-2004, the Turkish Cypriot community has been giving a continuous struggle and gathered several trade unions, organizations, institutions and political parties together. With their determination, they impeded the leadership of that period, put the solution plan of the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to hold a referandum and provided our community to vote %65 YES for the referandum. In particular, we, Turkish Cypriots feel trapped between the Greek Cypriot administration who is unwilling to share the Republic of Cyprus with us and Turkey that strives to colonise north of the island. Even though Cyprus as a whole became a member of the European Union since 2003 and Turkish Cypriots attained EU citizenship, the suspension of Acquis communautaire in the north has left us in the lurch. Our continued exclusion from the EU Customs Union is preventing the growth of our economy and is forcing the youth in north to vacate the island, while it is increasing our dependence on Turkey and bringing us face to face with communal annihilation.

Since Greek Cypriot administration does not want to share the Republic of Cyprus with us, we are unable even to use our basic citizenship rights of electing and being elected that exist in the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus. On the other hand, Turkey is working to colonise the north of the island. And currently, with the agreements of the UBP Government in the north of Cyprus with Turkey, the purchase power of the workers is tried to be eliminated, the wages and salaries are decreased and our trade union and collective bargaining rights are tried to be eliminated and discarded. The events following the intervention of Turkey as a guarantor power to protect the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and to re-establish the constitutional order after the coup organised in Cyprus by the Greek Junta in 1974, are unacceptable. Not only has Turkey failed to respect the international agreements, she has also brought the Turkish Cypriots to the verge of extinction as a result of its policies and practices since the 1974 intervention. Names of many Turkish Cypriot individuals, as well as names of towns, villages and roads in the north have been changed. Our education system has been restructured and harmonised with the education system in Turkey. Such examples lay bare the assimilationist policies of Turkey. Villages in the Karpas Peninsula have been given the names of some Turkish cigarette brands while Turkish Cypriots have been forcibly required to get surnames.

Acting with the zeal and mentality of conquerors, vast populations have been brought over from Turkey to North Cyprus and have been given citizenships, thereby usurping the political will of the Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots have effectively become a minority in their own country because of the population brought over from Turkey. While the current population in the north of the island is not known with any certainty, and the official figures released are highly distorted, we estimate that there are around 130 thousand Turkish Cypriots and the total population is over 800 thousand. According to the Union of Bakers, 810 thousand loaves of bread are produced daily; there are 400 thousand registered vehicles and 450 thousand mobile phone subscribers. The Separatist puppet regimes established by Turkey in the north of the island, continue to prevent the holding of a genuine census under the supervision of international observers. Such a large increase in our population has created a serious burden on our budgets for education, health and social areas. It is also causing an increase in the unofficial/unregistered economy and has created a large body of non-unionised workforce. Moreover, crime rates in the north have risen to levels never seen before in the history of Cyprus.

On the other hand, AKP government in Turkey has intensified its efforts to spread Sunni Islam on our island. In stark contrast to the 162 schools that exit in the north, there are 186 mosques and more are being built. There is pressure from Turkey to build even more mosques and to include Quran course in our education system. To this end, clerics and financial resources are continually sent from Turkey to the north. These developments that are contrary to Turkish Cypriot culture, identity and tradition, are targeted at the assimilation and integration policies by Turkey. In the 21st Century, in a territory of the EU, colonisation and assimilation is being carried out right before the eyes of the modern world. After 1974, Turkish Cypriots who had to leave their properties in the south and Greek Cypriots who had to leave their properties in the north, have, in practice, lost their right to use their own properties. As a result of faulty policies, Greek Cypriots properties in the north of the island had been distributed to Turkish Cypriots and to the population brought over from Turkey, thus creating a terrible system of looting. These policies which are contrary to international law have left us in serious difficulties.

We also have serious environmental problems. Unsupervised rubbish landfills are releasing poisonous substances to their surroundings. On the other hand radioactive and carcinogenic materials that are not accepted into any other ports in the Mediterranean basin are regularly dumped in to the free port of Famagusta. Studies indicate that cancer incidences in the Famagusta district are very high.

Under the pretext of creating economic resources, casinos that were closed in Turkey were moved to the north of our island. Today all manners organised crime activities such as money laundering, drugs trafficking and women trade are carried out freely in the north. Nothing is being done about these activities that are being carried out on EU territory, right before the eyes of the EU!

The separatist political structures set up in the north of the island bear close resemblance to the Vichy government established in France during the Second World War. Through the activities of collaborationist governments, the Turkish Cypriot community have been kept repressed and suppressed. Our youth continue to leave the island because of political and economic reasons. Institutions belonging to the Turkish Cypriots are being handed over to companies from Turkey that are close to the Turkish government. Prime minister of Turkey openly declares that they have “strategic” interests in our Island. In spite of all these impositions we continue our struggle with determination. That we have the support of the Turkish Cypriot community is attested by the 80 thousand people that participated in our Meetings. Our community adopted and proclaimed the 13 principles listed below in these mass meetings of January 28 and March 2 in 2011. In this context we await your contributions for returning law and order to the EU land of Cyprus since 2003 and resolution of the Cyprus problem.

PRINCIPLES OF THE TRADE UNIONS’ PLATFORM

1. The Trade Unions’ Platform is an association of labour organizations for the purpose of protecting and developing the democratic, economic, and social and employee rights of its members. At the same time the Platform aims to overcome all political problems that stand in the way of “self-governance of the community” as well. However, the Platform has no intention to become the government.

2. There is no place for any organizations that are in support of policies and acts that are aiming the extinction of our community, such as those organisations supporting the “Immigration Act”.

3. The Platform supports the urgent solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of United Nations resolutions, as well as the Turkish Cypriots taking their place in the international arena.

4. The will and the self-governance of the Turkish Cypriots to manage their own affairs must be respected.

5. The relations between Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots, must be based on mutual respect, and must be at the level of political equals. The present state of affairs based on logic of subservience to a master must be ended.

6. The Turkish Cypriots poses the knowledge, the skills and the potential in order to manage their own institutions. Based on this fact the governance of the Central Bank, the Civil Defence Organization and the Security Forces must be handed over to the Turkish Cypriots, while the police and the fire brigade must be brought under civilian rule.

7. For the sake of remaining in government, the ruling National Unity Party has bowed to all the impositions made by the AKP government in Turkey, and surrendered the political will of the Turkish Cypriot people to AKP by succumbing to immorally transfer parliamentarians from another party to its ranks. With its collaborationist policies and hostile attitude toward the Turkish Cypriots, the actions of the ruling UBP is pushing the Turkish Cypriots to extinction. It is because of these reasons that the UBP government does not represent the political will of the community.

8. In its struggle to win back the political will of the Turkish Cypriot people that has been surrendered to the governments of Turkey, the Trade Unions’ Platform expects and calls upon all the opposition parties in the parliament to take every action including civil disobedience with regards to the measures taken by the government and to walk-out from the parliament should the government block all other avenues..

9. The officials of the Republic of Turkey must stop their interfering in our internal affairs, and must put an end to the “shadow cabinet” disguised as advisors. The interventions of the T.R. “Aid Committee” in the political decisions of the government must cease. Financial assistance must be provided on project basis, and must be administered by the Turkish Cypriot authorities. All tenders must be opened and bid in Cyprus.

10. The economic packet imposed purely for political reasons on the Turkish Cypriots within the framework of the protocols signed with the T.R., which does not fit the social and cultural structures, must be stopped immediately and any arrangements made must be revoked.

11. The practice of selling communal wealth and establishments cheaply under the guise of privatization must cease immediately. The authority on these institutions rests with the Turkish Cypriots.

12. The practice of distributing citizenships which has ruined the social, economic and cultural fabric in our country and has wiped out the political will of the Turkish Cypriots, must be stopped immediately. Further, a new census must be carried out under the supervision of international observers and illegal immigrants must be repatriated. Entry in to the country with identity card must be stopped and all future entries must be carefully controlled.

13. The inhumane working conditions of the workers in the private sector must be improved and the ILO regulations must be implemented and enforced both in the public as well as in the private sectors.

Cyprus Turkish Civil Servants Trade Union (KTAMS), Cyprus Turkish Teachers Trade Union (KTOS), Cyprus Turkish Secondary Schools Teachers Trade Union (KTOEOS), Municipality Workers Trade Union (BES), Custom Services Trade Union (GUC-SEN), Cyprus Turkish Medical Doctors Trade Union (TIP-IS), State Employees Trade Union (CAGSEN), Press Workers Trade Union (BASINSEN), Eastern Mediterranean University Union and Solidarity Trade Union (DAU-BIR-SEN), Cooperative Workers Trade Union (KOOP-SEN)