T/C LABOR UNIONS DISAPPOINTED WITH "GOVERNMENT"

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NICOSIA 000365 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR EUR/SE MCLEGG-TRIPP AND EMELLINGER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ELAB PHUM CY SUBJECT: T/C LABOR UNIONS DISAPPOINTED WITH "GOVERNMENT" SUPPORT REF: A. (A) NICOSIA 140 ¶B. (B) NICOSIA 103 ¶1. Summary: Turkish Cypriot (T/C) labor union leaders are voicing growing disappointment with the performance of the current "TRNC government." The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) came to power in 2005 with overwhelming labor support, union representatives told us in a series of recent meetings; several "ministers" and "MPs" were former labor leaders themselves. Faced with hard budgetary decisions, however, the administration increasingly is taking on the unions, especially those representing the civil service. All asserted the CTP could not take labor's vote for granted in future elections. End summary. -------------- Ideological Beginnings -------------- ¶2. In recent weeks, Poloffs have surveyed the leaders of north Cyprus's largest and most influential labor unions and federations. All were founded after the 1974 conflict, union reps recounted, and each has strong political and ideological roots. The 1,800-member, four-union federation Dev-Is was established in 1976 on Marxist principles, leader Mehmet Seyis revealed. Its founders had aimed to offer workers an alternative to pro-"state" unions, which at the time were backed by nationalist authorities who administered northern Cyprus until 2005. ¶3. Hur-Is, another labor federation, is the result of two of these pro-"state" unions fusing in 1993. Leader Ozay Andic reported that Hur-Is now comprises six unions representing 7,200 members, including civil servants, "state" radio/TV workers, "municipal" officials, bank officers, Cyprus Turkish Airlines employees, and Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) non-academics. Other prominent labor organizations in the north include DAU-Per-Sen, a nationalistic union representing EMU workers, and DAU-Bir-Sen, which the CTP formed in 2002 to compete with DAU-Per-Sen. The latter two actually joined forces in late 2006 to shut down EMU in perhaps the highest-profile union action in northern Cyprus in recent years. -------------- Pragmatism Sells -------------- ¶4. Union leaders across the political spectrum downplayed ideology when discussing their organizations. Hur-Is's Andic would only admit that his federation had a "political attitude," claiming it was no longer closely tied to north Cyprus nationalists. He further stated that each of Hur-Is's six union leaders belonged to different parties or were apolitical. "We are more worried about retaining and attracting members than pushing an ideological mantra," Andic continued. Seyis, of the Marxist Dev-Is, claimed that foisting "utopian slogans" was a tough sell. Protecting workers' rights and pushing employers to meet EU labor standards was more attractive to members, current and prospective. "In the global economy," DAU-Bir-Sen leader Tevfik Yoldas told us, "workers cannot afford to be divided along political lines;" DAU-Per-Sen leader Mudahar Akar agreed, attributing the 2006 success in extracting concessions from EMU to a united labor front. ¶5. Head of the secondary school teachers' union KTOEOS Adnan Eraslan claimed that securing pay increases was but one item on his organization's broad agenda. In the coming year, KTOEOS would push for implementation of the education-related sections of the 2004 Annan Plan reunification effort, which it had supported. "We will attempt to fix the education system in the north and win respect for teachers, who are leaders in their communities," he continued. To do so, KTOEOS intended to force the "Education Ministry" to consult with the union before setting policy, singling out for derision a recent "Ministry" decision to stove-pipe T/C seventh-graders based solely on their performance in a single subject. -------------- -------------- Can Labor Stick Together Through Social Security Debate? -------------- -------------- ¶6. Faced with budget shortfalls due mainly to heavy public sector expenditures, the Turkish Cypriot "government" is NICOSIA 00000365 002 OF 003 crafting a social security reform bill. As public sector employees enjoy far better benefits (for lower premiums) than their private sector cohorts, the legislation troubles unions representing civil servants. The new system, Dev-Is's Seyis argued, would deny certain "government" workers -- those hired after the bill's passage -- many of the perks that older hires enjoy. Worse, the lower benefits standard of the private sector would become the new norm for every worker. ¶7. On March 26, 18 unions, criticized the bill as drafted. Seyis publicly called it "a local example of global, neoliberal impositions on the world's laborers." Many other union reps agreed, pointing a finger at critical IMF and World Bank reports on the north's economy and welfare net. Some labor leaders accused the "once unionist and formerly socialist CTP" of bowing to capital. Public debate has become heated, and labor's mantra against the proposed system -- "higher premiums, for more years, for less retirement benefits" -- appears to have driven the CTP "administration" to the negotiations table. ¶8. The "government" eventually concluded that the bill would not pass as-is, Seyis gloated at a late-March meeting. "While it is too early to tell, at least the bill is now open to discussion." Seyis had met with the "Ministry of Labor" three times to negotiate changes, he claimed, and he was certain other labor leaders had lobbied also. ¶9. In an early April meeting, however, Seyis's bravado had disappeared, as the "government's" own outreach effort had swayed some unions to its side. Further, he admitted that the current pension system was not sustainable, and revealed that Dev-Is had conceded to an increase in the retirement age, comforted by the fact that only new hires would be adversely effected. "We are not rejecting the CTP's bill outright," Seyis asserted, although his federation could never accept its more egregious components. He surmised that more nationalistic unions would continue to oppose the "government" bill, however, not for economic reasons but in hopes of weakening the CTP politically. -------------- Shut Out -------------- ¶10. For obvious reasons, all Turkish Cypriot labor leaders consulted were aiming to unionize additional workers. While most public sector employees already enjoyed formal workforce representation, the organization rate of the private sector, where most growth in employment had occurred, was far lower. Northern Cyprus's private universities -- ranking behind only tourism as a contributor to GDP -- were irresistible targets for unions and federations. None, though, were exactly welcoming organized labor's efforts, they reported. Ismail Ozbaris, of private sector union Emek-Is, seethed over five Cyprus International University employees being fired in the last three weeks for attempting to organize workers. Another sector booming in the T/C area, construction, also has attracted labor's interest, with both Dev-Is and Hur-Is leading the charge. Both organizations have complained over the lack of legal protections afforded their representatives while attempting to recruit workers, unfortunately. ¶11. Organized labor was divided over the current "government's" treatment of unions and federations. DAU-Bir-Sen's Yoldas lamented that the CTP had abandoned its pro-union leanings in its move to the middle. Conversely, Dev-Is leader Seyis took the "glass half-full" approach, claiming the current T/C leadership represented a huge improvement over its predecessors. Earlier National Unity Party (UBP) "governments" would have ordered police or contract thugs to beat up striking workers, he asserted. All union reps criticized the CTP "government" for its support of the business class, however. Seyis fretted that "Prime Minister" Ferdi Soyer, "Labor Minister" Sonay Adem and "Transportation Minister" Salih Usar were at one time all part of Dev-Is's leadership, and yet they rarely sought now his opinions at decision time. Soyer and his team maintained a formal, and even distant, relationship with union leaders, hearing their positions only at official meetings. -------------- Bosses Offer Political Predictions -------------- ¶12. Labor leaders asserted that their accumulated NICOSIA 00000365 003 OF 003 frustrations and disappointments with the CTP mandated a re-evaluation of their support for the ruling party before the next general elections, scheduled for 2010. Even Dev-Is's Seyis admitted "some anger" on the part of his members, although he argued that they had few political alternatives. He predicted weak party discipline at the polls and high absenteeism in response. On the other hand, Hur-Is leader Andic predicted an electoral freefall for the CTP, claiming that unions now saw opposition UBP as friendlier to labor causes and more deserving of their 7,200 members' votes. ¶13. Most striking were the political predictions of the education sector union leaders -- KTOEOS' Eraslan, DAU-Bir-Sen's Yoldas, and DAU-Per-Sen's Akar. The 2,600 workers they represent had grown strident in their opposition to the CTP, perhaps because their unmet expectations of "government" support had been so high. All told us that, not only would their unions call for CTP's defeat in the next elections, but individual members would strive to unseat the "government." None chose to elaborate on the thinly-veiled threats. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶14. T/C unions likely licked their chops when the formerly communist CTP won "government" control in 2005, believing Soyer and his lot would reward organized labor mightily for its electoral support. Like any "ruling" party, however, the CTP has had to prioritize, leaving many demands, including the unions', unmet. Labor groups, even those historically at each others' throats over ideology, have responded by forming alliances of convenience to battle the "government" for cost of living adjustments, salaries and other benefits. We doubt their united front will prove durable for two reasons. Employing the power of the purse, we expect the "government" to make tactical concessions where it sees fit -- divide-and-conquer at its purest. And while the unions can bury ideological differences short-term, traditional enmity dies hard. As to predictions of an early CTP fall from "government," the unions' assertions hardly constitute news, since the T/C opposition and many in media have forecast coming instability for months. Most attribute the predicted CTP downfall to inability to deliver on its pro-solution agenda, however, not to the party's record on satisfying its organized labor base. SCHLICHER