By Simon Bahceli
Published on January 21, 2012
TURKISH electricity workers were flown into the north yesterday in a frantic effort to restore power after local workers called an all-out indefinite strike on Thursday.
Power has been off in much of the north since Thursday afternoon when ELSEN, the union representing workers at the north’s ‘state-owned’ power provider KIBTEK, walked out in protest over the authorities’ plans to privatise electricity generation.
Speaking yesterday evening, Turkish Cypriot ‘economy and energy minister’ Sunat Atun told the media that workers from Turkish energy company AKSA, under police escort, had entered the main Teknecik power plant on the coast near the village of Klepini and that power would soon be restored to all regions. Earlier, AKSA workers took over the running of a smaller power station in Famagusta Bogazi.
“Two of the units at the Teknecik plant have been put into operation. In a short period of time we will have all six running,” Atun said. He added that the north was also purchasing 30 megawatts of power from the Electricity Authority of Cyprus to make up for a shortfall at the Kalecik power plant near Famagusta Bogazi. The plant was allegedly sabotaged last night reducing its production capacity from 100 megawatts to just 50. Police say they are seeking those responsible.
ELSEN meanwhile pledged to continue its fight against privatisation plans. As evening fell, workers remain stationed outside the two powers plants amid a heavy police presence.
“We will continue the fight to the end,” ELSEN head Tuluy Kalyoncu said.
“The plant is the property of the people. Our fight is a worthy one; our community’s survival depends on it. They think they can resolve this by bringing in people from abroad. It might work in the short term but in the long term it will fail.”
The issue has been simmering since 2009 when plans to cut back the north’s bloated public sector and privatise a number of ‘state-owned’ corporations were announced. Currently, telecommunications workers are also on strike, citing the same reasons as ELSEN.
Meanwhile it was the public who were bearing the brunt of the power cuts, which were still ongoing last night. Virtually all shops and services in Nicosia, Kyrenia and Famagusta were running on generators as thousands of homes remained in darkness.
“This is unbearable. I have three children at home sitting under blankets in the dark all evening. The weather is freezing and I’m worried my children will get ill,” Nicosia resident Aliye Bakirci, 30, told the Cyprus Mail.
“I sympathise with the workers, but it is us the people who are suffering most”.
Nicosia restaurant owner Fatma Desilva said business had seen a 75 per cent loss of trade as a result of the cuts.
“It’s Friday night and our generator has broken down so right now we have no customers. If it goes on like this we might as well shut up shop and go home. It’s like living in the stone age,” she said.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/worke ... e/20120121
Looks as though Turkey don't need the TCs at all!
I hope it is the expensive electricity we are selling them, from the diesel powered generators, and at a higher price than we are paying!
