Turkish Cypriot trade unions say they will escalate their confrontation with the “government” over the freezing of the cost-of-living allowance (COLA), opening parallel fronts in both the streets and the “courts”.
At a press conference yesterday, more than 30 unions announced they would immediately challenge the decree that entered into force and provides for the integration of COLA and its suspension until January 2027.
With sharp rhetoric, union representatives accused the “government” of misleading society and of “usurping the will of the parliament”, arguing that enforcing the decree while the legislature is still functioning constitutes a direct institutional deviation. They stressed that they will not accept what they described as “illegal actions”, prioritising an immediate legal challenge while not ruling out further waves of mobilisation.
Strike action to resume
Mustafa Baybora, president of the teachers’ union in the north, announced that strike action will resume. The unions stated that once the “parliamentary plenary” reconvenes, protests will continue from where they left off.
From 1 April, no overtime work will be accepted, while a gathering has been scheduled for 2 April outside the “court”, where an application will be filed seeking the issuance of an interim order.
Political tensions escalate
At the same time, the political climate in the north has intensified, with a public confrontation between Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman and “prime minister” Ünal Üstel taking on both personal and political characteristics.
Üstel responded in strong terms to remarks made by Erhürman, who had warned that the “presidency” would not remain passive regarding the decree freezing the cost-of-living adjustment.
The “prime minister” described Erhürman’s statements as “unfortunate and incompatible with institutional order”, criticising the fact that they were made via social media. He said that “governance requires seriousness, respect for institutions and adherence to the rule of law”, stressing that matters of state should be handled through institutional procedures rather than public posts.
Üstel also rejected suggestions of a “secret process”, arguing that the decree was issued legally on the basis of the government’s constitutional powers due to a deadlock in parliament, and that it aims to safeguard economic stability in a time of crisis.
Response from Erhürman
Erhürman responded shortly afterwards, describing the remarks as a “bad April Fools’ joke”. He criticised the government’s references to “seriousness” and the “rule of law”, arguing that confidence in institutions is currently under strain.
Government insists law will pass
The “finance minister”, Özdemir Berova, said that the suspension of COLA required the relevant legislation to enter into force in time.
He noted that if the legislative process had been completed after 31 March, the measure could not have been implemented, as a new period would begin and a new entitlement to cost-of-living adjustment would arise.
For that reason, he said, the “government” proceeded with issuing the decree to ensure the measure’s application, adding that “the adoption of the law by parliament is considered certain and will be completed soon” in an effort to ease the reactions.