United Action Delivers Victory for Teachers and Trade Unions in Northern Cyprus
Teacher unions and the wider trade union movement in the north of Cyprus have achieved a clear and important victory. Through unity, determination and collective action, unions have successfully pushed back against a government attempt to impose severe pay cuts on public-sector workers.
The proposed draft law would have effectively reduced annual salaries by suspending the cost-of-living allowance for nine months. Faced with this threat, all unions across the north of the island stood together. After repeated calls for dialogue were ignored, unions escalated their mobilisation and organised a four-day general strike that brought public services to a standstill.
The protests, led in large part by teacher unions, culminated in mass demonstrations in front of Parliament. Despite heavy-handed police responses, including the use of pepper spray and water cannons, and despite legal charges brought against dozens of protesters, unions did not retreat. Instead, they remained united, firm and focused on their demand: fair wages, social dialogue and respect for workers’ rights.
That determination has now paid off. The contested draft law has been withdrawn and sent back to committee, and a decision has been taken to evaluate the public budget together with trade unions. Negotiations are set to begin in the coming days, with unions preparing concrete, data-driven proposals aimed at strengthening public revenues while identifying fair and sustainable savings measures.
“This struggle, led in large part by teacher unions, has once again demonstrated the importance of social movement unionism,” said Burak Maviş, General Secretary of KTÖS and ETUCE Cyprus Representative.
ETUCE warmly congratulates its member organisations in Cyprus on this collective achievement. This victory sends a strong message across Europe: when teachers and workers stand together, organise collectively and refuse to accept unilateral cuts, they can defend their rights and shape fairer outcomes. ETUCE stands in full solidarity with its members in Cyprus as they enter the next phase of negotiations.
