A General Strike in North Cyprus?

There is information emerging that a General Strike has been called for Monday, July 5th by more than 35 Labour Unions in northern Cyprus, representing the vast majority of Turkish Cypriot working people.

Information is scant but it points to:

o- A politicized perception of the General Strike by its organizers going beyond plain economic demands and linking it to issues of independence from the occupation regime installed in the north by force and directed by the Armed Forces of Turkey;

o- Strikers are reportedly preparing for at least one day of action, but not limiting their options to it, remaining open for a wider and perhaps protracted struggle;

o- Already the occupation regime and its major illegal corporations are reeling from the General Strike before it even materialized. Airlines are changing their schedules (please see under "Sources /Reports", below).

o- Issues at stake for the General Strike are related to wages and benefits, of course, but also revolve around whether the Government of Turkey, as the occupying power, will continue to determine the economy (in addition to the political and military situation), or whether the economy of northern Cyprus will be allowed local, Turkish Cypriot autonomy and self-sufficiency in the fields of production and finance.


We give our warmest greetings of solidarity to the organizers and we hope the Strike materializes successfully!

Editorial Collective,
http://CyprusIndyMedia.org
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Further Sources

1. The Wider Context of the Ongoing Struggle

"This Homeland is Ours" said the masses; Turkish Cypriot Uprising of 2002-3
by Turgut Durduran
http://www.cyprusaction.org/protests/articles/durduran022003.html

Northern Cyprus: The Turkish Cypriot Revolt That Rocked The Turkish Occupation
by Steven Katsineris
http://69.16.253.89/cyprus15931.html

V.I. Lenin:
A Caricature of Marxism and Imperialist Economism
...Central to all the disquisitions of the self-determination opponents is the claim that it is generally “unachievable” under capitalism or imperialism. The word “unachievable” is frequently used in widely different and inaccurately defined meanings. That is why in our theses we insisted on what is essential in any theoretical discussion: an explanation of what is meant by “unachievable”. Nor did we confine ourselves to that. We tried to give such an explanation. All democratic demands are “unachievable” under imperialism in the sense that politically they are hard to achieve or totally unachievable without a series of revolutions.
It is fundamentally wrong, however, to maintain that self-determination is unachievable in the economic sense.
That has been our contention. It is the pivotal point of our theoretical differences, a question to which our opponents in any serious discussion should have paid due attention."
http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/carimarx/3.htm#v23pp64h-040

Antonio Gramsci:
The Modern Prince
Some Theoretical and Practical Aspects of "Economism"
http://www2.cddc.vt.edu/marxists/archive/gramsci/editions/spn/modern_prince/ch07.htm


2. Rumours, Reports and Ruminations

"Earlier, Kamu-Sen President Mehmet Ozkardas accused the government of trying to reduce the income of people receiving salaries from the state. He said the Unions will continue their actions until the draft law is withdrawn by the government.
Meanwhile, three major airlines operating in North Cyprus, Cyprus Turkish Airlines, Atlas Jet and Pegasus have announced changes in their flight schedules due to tomorrow’s general strike.

Cyprus Turkish Airlines and Atlas Jet flights have rescheduled their flights to before or after the strike, expected to last between 8 am-6pm tomorrow in order to minimize any annoyances or problems passengers may face. Pegasus Airlines on the other hand has cancelled most of its flights for tomorrow, redirecting passengers to other flights."
http://www.cyprus-forum.com/cyprus18682-20.html

General Strike in north Cyprus on Monday 5th July 2010
http://www.northcyprusfreepress.com/2010/07/03/general-strike-in-north-cyprus-on-monday-5th-july-2010/

General Strike on Monday
"...information on the cessation of funds is more of a worry as if the Turkish Government stop supporting North Cyprus it truly will become bankrupt and inflation will be rampant. The Turkish Government and Turkey has been generously bankrolling the TRNC for many years. The idea of a strike is a little quaint and the effects will be temporary (although bad for some people on the day); if Turkey stops it’s support the effects will be far more severe."
http://www.cyprus44.com/forums/39656.asp

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