Union Leaders Arrested in the North

Statement from the Trade Union Platform
[Türkçe: for Turkish, please see below]

Photos

2-08-2010

The separatist political regime which was established in the north part of our island, have been continuing its economic and political pressure upon the Turkish Cypriots in order to push them to immigrate from the island. Current measurements about salary, wages and taxes which are all imposed by Turkey are trying to be put into practice by the comprador authorities these days.

Our trade unions organized a general strike as well as an existential meeting today, in order to protest the tax measurements which was on the agenda of the parliament. Our trade unionists confronted the police’s aggressive attitude. Because of the aggression between police and activists, the police used disproportional power in the meeting and arrested 7 trade unionists first, and then they arrested the trade union presidents who claimed their friends release and ended up with the probation of 24 people. Among the arrested trade unionists were Guven Varoglu - President of KTOS, Adnan Eraslan - President of KTOEOS, Ahmet Kaptan - President of KTAMS, Mehmet Özkardaş - President of KAMUSEN, Yakup Latifoglu – President of HURIS Federation, Sami Dilek – President of KAMUIS, Ersin Hurdoganoglu- CAGSEN Secretary General, Tulug Kalyoncu- ELSEN President, DEVIS President Mehmet Seyis, HAVASEN President Buran Atakan and Oguz Kose - President of Nurses and Midwives Trade Union.

The main target is, to omit the trade unions without administration and to eliminate the trade unions as a whole.

Turkey, as the guarantour, sent military troops to the island in 1974 in order to protect the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and in order to stop the conflict; so [it] divided the island and created a subordinate local administration in the north of the island. The only responsible element for what has been happening now is the Turkish Government. Moreover, the Turkish Cypriots are being forced for immigration with these pressures.

In order to protest the systematic pressure upon Turkish Cypriots by the police state which is created and in order to release the arrested trade unionists, we kindly invite you for solidarity to raise our voices even louder.

Best Regards

On behalf of Trade Union Platform,
Sener ELCİL / ŞENER ELCİL

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Editorial Statement

Our best regards, thoughts and warmest feelings of solidarity are with the arrested Union members, their loved ones, and with all the labour activists in the North.

The confrontation revolves around two parallel fronts:
o- the struggle for cultural survival and autonomy for the Turkish Cypriot community;
and,
o- the struggle for control of the economy by the workers; and for wages, benefits and taxes proportioned appropriately in order to oppose poverty and contribute to more justice and to the well-being of the whole of of society.

We embrace these two struggles and we believe that the current orientation of labour struggles led by the Turkish Cypriot Unions can be one of the foundations for a secure and lasting Peace in our country.

We also very happy to note the presence of our comrades from the radical cultural group Baraka at the protests:
http://www.baraka.cc/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=542&Itemid=596

One Big Union!
Cyprus IndyMedia Collective
http://CyprusIndyMedia.org


































































A General Strike in North Cyprus?
http://cyprusindymedia.blogspot.com/2010/07/general-strike-in-north-cyprus.html

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2-08-2010

Adamızın kuzeyinde Türkiye tarafından kurdurulan ayrılıkçı siyasi rejim, Kıbrıslı türkleri adadan göç ettirmek için ekonomik ve siyasi baskılarına devam etmektedir. Türkiye tarafından dayatılan maaş, ücret ve vergi yasalarının Türkiye’ye benzetilmesi ile ilgili çalışmalar, içinde bulunduğumuz günlerde işbirlikçi yöneticiler tarafından hayata geçirilmeye çalışılmaktadır.

Bugün meclis gündemine gelen vergi düzenlemesi ile ilgili yasa tasarısını protesto etmek için genel grev ve toplumsal varoluş mitingi düzenleyen sendikalarımız, polisin saldırgan tutumuyla karşı karşıya kalmıştır. Miting eylemi esnasında polisle göstericiler arasında cereyan eden itişmelerden dolayı, orantısız güç kullanan polis, önce 7 sendikacıyı tutuklamış, bunu protesto eden ve tutuklananların serbest bırakılmasını talep eden sendika başkanlarını da tutuklayarak 24 kişiyi gözaltına almıştır. Tutuklanan sendikacılar arasında, KTÖS Başkanı Güven Varoğlu, KTOEÖS Başkanı Adnan Eraslan, KTAMS Başkanı Ahmet Kaptan, KAMUSEN Başkanı Mehmet Özkardaş, HÜRİŞ Federasyonu Başkanı Yakup Latifoğlu, Kamuiş Başkanı Sami Dilek, ÇAĞSEN Genel Sekreteri Ersin Hürdoğanoğlu, ELSEN Başkanı Tuluğ Kalyoncu, Hemşiereler ve Ebeler Birliği Başkanı Oğuz Köse, DEVİŞ Başkanı Mehmet Seyis, HAVASEN Başkanı Buran Atakan da vardır.

Temel hedef, sendikaları yönetimsiz bırakıp sendikal yaşamı ortadan kaldırmaktır.

1974 yılında Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti’nin toprak bütünlüğünü korumak ve anayasal nizamını tekrardan tesis edip adamızda devam eden çatışmaları durdurmak için garantörlük görevi çerçevesinde adaya asker göndermiş ve adamızı ikiye bölerek kuzey tarafta kendine bağlı bir alt yönetim oluşturmuştur. Şu anda yaşanan gelişmelerin tek sorumlusu Türkiye hükümetidir. Dayatılan yasaları yapan da Türkiye ve bu baskılarla Kıbrıslı türkler göçe zorlanmaktadır.

Yaratılan polis devletinin aracılığı ile Kıbrıs türklerine uygulanan sistematik baskıların kınanması ve tutuklananların derhal serbest bırakılması için uluslararası kamuoyunun dayanışmasını ve protestosunu bekliyoruz.

Saygılarımızla,

Sendikal Platform Adına
ŞENER ELCİL

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ΜΗΝΥΜΑ ΑΛΛΗΛΕΓΓΥΗΣ ΣΤΟΝ ΑΓΩΝΑ ΤΩΝ Τ/Κ φοιτητών, εκπαιδευτικών και συνδικαλιστών της KTOS και KTOEOS

Από την οργάνωση Εργατική Δημοκρατία

Αγαπητοί Σύντροφοι,

Η κούρσα των εκλογών στη βόρεια Κύπρο έχει μονοπωλήσει το ενδιαφέρον της πλειονότητας των ΜΜΕ στη νότια Κύπρο. Το αποτέλεσμα είναι να έχει επισκιασθεί ο εξίσου σημαντικός αγώνας που δίνουν εδώ και 3 βδομάδες οι Τουρκοκύπριοι καθηγητές και φοιτητές της Ακαδημίας εκπαιδευτικών πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης της βόρειας Κύπρου ενάντια στην επίθεση της κυβέρνησης Έρογλου για ιδιωτικοποίηση της Ακαδημίας. Η αντίσταση στην επίθεση αυτή είναι και αγώνας για την υπεράσπιση του δικαιώματος για δωρεά δημόσια παιδεία. Ταυτόχρονα όμως, το κλείσιμο της Ακαδημίας που λειτουργεί από το 1937 μέσα στα πλαίσια της πολιτισμικής ταυτότητας των Τουρκοκυπρίων, αποτελεί και μια πολιτική μάχη ενάντια στην πολιτική πολιτισμικής αφομοίωσης και ενσωμάτωσης των κυπρίων της βόρειας Κύπρου που ακολουθεί εδώ και χρόνια το τουρκικό κράτος.

Με πρόσχημα τις εκλογές ο Έρογλου απαγόρευσε τις απεργίες στην εκπαίδευση τις οποίες υποστηρίζουν οι συντεχνίες σας, KTOS και KTOEOS. Η πρωτοφανής βία της αστυνομίας ενάντια στους διαδηλωτές, που κατέλαβαν το υπουργείο Παιδείας διαμαρτυρόμενοι για τα μέτρα απαγόρευσης της απεργίας, δείχνει πόσο αδύναμο είναι το καθεστώς το οποίο τρέμει στην προοπτική της κοινωνικής αναταραχής. Ούτε είναι τυχαίο ότι η επίθεση αυτή στρέφεται ενάντια στα πιο μαχητικά τ/κ συνδικάτα όπως είναι η συντεχνία εκπαιδευτικών Δημοτικής και Μέσης εκπαίδευσης, της KTOS και KTOEOS. Όπως οι Τουρκοκύπριοι εργαζόμενοι το ίδιο και οι εργαζόμενοι στη νότια Κύπρο συνεχίζουν να δέχονται τα τελευταία χρόνια παρόμοιες επιθέσεις από την εργοδοσία και τις κυβερνήσεις. Σαν αποτέλεσμα της οικονομικής κρίσης οι επιθέσεις αυτές έχουν ενταθεί διεθνώς. Απολύσεις, μειώσεις μισθών, περικοπές στο δημόσιο, περισσότερες ιδιωτικοποιήσεις και επιθέσεις στα κεκτημένα των εργαζομένων.

Ο αγώνας σας αποτελεί μέρος του κινήματος όλων των εργαζομένων στην Ευρώπη. Την ίδια ώρα που οι άρχουσες τάξεις συζητούν μια συντονισμένη επίθεση στην Ελλάδα, Τουρκία, Γαλλία, Ιρλανδία, Ισπανία, Πορτογαλία και σε ολόκληρη την Ευρώπη οι εργαζόμενοι δίνουν σήμερα μεγάλες μάχες αρνούμενοι να φορτωθούν στις πλάτες τους τις συνέπειες της κρίσης.

Στεκόμαστε αλληλέγγυοι στον ηρωικό σας αγώνα ενάντια στην απαγόρευση του δικαιώματος στην απεργία, στην αποφασιστικότητα σας για αντίσταση στην πολιτική της Τουρκίας και του καθεστώτος στη βόρεια Κύπρο και καταγγέλλουμε την βάρβαρη επίθεση των αρχών ενάντια στους συνδικαλιστές της KTOS που κατέλαβαν το κτήριο του υπουργείου. Ο αγώνας σας αποτελεί παράδειγμα και έμπνευση για τους Ελληνοκύπριους εργαζόμενους.

Αλληλέγγυοι,

Εργατική Δημοκρατία, wd@workersdemocracy.net
Παρασκευή, 16 Απριλίου 2010

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SOLIDARITY MESSAGE TO THE TURKISH CYPRIOT STUDENTS, LECTURERS, TEACHERS AND TRADE UNIONISTS OF KTOS AND KTOEOS

From the Workers Democracy / İşçİ Demokrasisi organization

Dear comrades,

The election race in northern Cyprus has monopolised the interest of most mainstream media in southern Cyprus. As a result the elections have overshadowed the equally significant struggle that Turkish Cypriot lecturers and students of the Teachers Academy are waging for the last 3 weeks against the decision of Eroglu’s administration to privatise the Academy. The resistance against this attack equals also to the fight in defence of the right of equal access to free public education. At the same time the closure of the Teachers Academy - that functions since 1937 within the framework of Turkish Cypriot cultural identity - constitutes also a political battle against the long term policy of cultural assimilation and incorporation of Cypriots of northern Cyprus by the Turkish state.

Under the pretext of elections Eroglu’s administration banned the school strikes supported by your trade unions, KTOS and KTOEOS. The police exercise of brutal force against the demonstrators, who occupied the ministry of Education and protesting against the ban of strikes, is a sign of weakness by the authorities who tremble in the prospect of social unrest. It is no accident that the police brutal attack turned against KTOS and KTOEOS, the most militant Turkish Cypriot trade unions of School and High School Teachers.

Like the Turkish Cypriot workers, the Greek Cypriot workers in the past few years have been under attack by the employers and the government. The global economic crisis made our local and international rulers to intensify these attacks. As result we witness mass redundancies, wage cuts and cuts in public spending, more privatizations and attacks in workers’ vested rights.

Your fight constitutes part of the greater workers movement in Europe. While international bosses debate their best line of a coordinated attack, in Greece, Turkey, France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and the rest of Europe the workers are fighting back refusing to pay the implications of a crisis they didn’t cause.

We extend our solidarity to your heroic struggle against the ban of the right to strike, to your determination to resist the policy of Turkey and the administration in northern Cyprus while denouncing the brutal attack of the authorities against the KTOS trade unionists who occupied the ministerial building. Your fight certainly sets is an inspiration and sets an example to the Greek Cypriot workers.

In solidarity,
Workers Democracy / İşçİ Demokrasisi, wd@workersdemocracy.net
Friday, 16 April 2010
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From the Editors:

The Statement of Solidarity by the comrades in the Workers Democracy organization expresses us as well, word for word. Thank you for taking this initiative!

To the comrades of KTÖS (KIBRIS TÜRK ÖĞRETMENLER SENDİKASI / CYPRUS TURKİSH TEACHERS TRADE UNİON) and KTOEÖS we state our sympathy and best wishes for a successful resolution of the struggle.

To our readers we recommend a click on the photos that accompany this article; they will take you to a video that commemorates and honours the many decades of struggles by KTÖS, and to a short video from the recent confrontations involving security forces in the occupied north and KTOEÖS / KTÖS members. Many thanks to our friends of the Baraka cultural group for their work in producing and distributing that video.

To us it is clear that KTÖS and KTOEÖS are fighting for reasons much loftier than the common shallow economism in which most reformist unions are usually stuck. We see that the struggle involves Turkish Cypriot cultural autonomy plus the spirit of socialist principles, both of which we warmly embrace.

Cyprus IndyMedia Collective
http://CyprusIndyMedia.org

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Από την Ομάδα Σύνταξης:

Η Δήλωση Αλληλεγγύης των συντρόφων της οργάνωσης Εργατική Δημοκρατία εκφράζει και εμάς, λέξη πρός λέξη. Ευχαριστούμε γιά την πρωτοβουλία!

Πρός τους συντρόφους των συνδικάτων KTÖS (KIBRIS TÜRK ÖĞRETMENLER SENDİKASI / Συνδικαλιστική Οργάνωση ΤουρκοΚυπρίων Διδασκάλων) και KTOEÖS δηλώνουμε την συμπάθεια μας, και τις καλύτερες ευχές γιά επιτυχή απόδωση του αγώνα.

Στους αναγνώστες μας συνιστούμε επίσκεψη με κλικ στις φωτογραφίες που συνοδεύουν το άρθρο μας. Θα σας οδηγήσουν σ' ένα βίντεο που μνημονεί και τιμά τις πολλές δεκαετίες αγώνων της KTÖS, και σ' ένα μικρό βίντεο από τις πρόσφατες συγκρούσεις μεταξύ δυνάμεων ασφαλείας στον κατεχόμενο βορρά και μελών των KTOEÖS / KTÖS. Πολλές ευχαριστίες στους φίλους μας της πολιτιστικής ομάδας Baraka / Μπαράκα που συνέταξαν και διένημαν το βίντεο.

Σ' εμάς είναι καθαρό το ότι οι KTÖS και KTOEÖS αγωνίζονται γιά λόγους πολύ πιό υψηλούς από τον κοινό και ρηχό οικονομισμό στον οποίο συνήθως παγιδεύονται οι συνδικαλιστικές οργανώσεις. Βλέπουμε πως ο αγώνας συμπεριλαμβάνει την πολιτιστική αυτονομία των ΤουρκοΚυπρίων και το πνεύμα σοσιαλιστικών αρχών, αμφότερα τα οποία αγκαλιάζουμε.

Ενδο~Μήδεια / Cyprus IndyMedia Collective
http://CyprusIndyMedia.org

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