In a meeting on Wednesday, Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO) and Turkish Cypriot Dev-Is trade union discussed issues concerning the workers of the two communities and the latest developments of the Cyprus problem. The two syndicates are in favour of the resumption of Cyprus talks. At the beginning of the meeting, held at PEO headquarters, PEO Secretary General Sotiroulla Charalambous, referred to the long-standing cooperation and common struggles of the two trade unions. Charalambous presented the main pillars of the cooperation between the PEO and the Turkish Cypriot trade union Dev-Is. One of the axes of this cooperation concerns the reunification of Cyprus. She emphasised that the joint action on this front is being launched in the conditions of a deadlock in the Cyprus problem. Having completed the programme of joint activities for Women’s Day, it is now focusing on May Day. Charalambous pointed out that the common message of the two syndicates to the elected President and the pro-solution forces is the need for the resumption of the negotiation process. Charalambous also said that at today’s meeting, there would be “mutual information on what is happening on the issues that concern the workers of the two communities and the actions that express class solidarity.” Charalambous noted that the aim is to strengthen cooperation concerning the possibility of employing Turkish Cypriots in the areas under the control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus, noting that during the last tourist season, hundreds of Turkish Cypriots worked in the tourism industry in Famagusta district. The aim, she said, is to continue cooperation in this area. For his part, Dev-Is General Secretary Koral Asam expressed his condolences to the victims of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and the deadly train accident in Greece and sent the message that “cooperation in the common homeland is inevitable”, adding that even though the two sides have different approaches to the Cyprus problem, the trade unions continue their cooperation. According to the Turkish Cypriot trade unionist, the status quo in the Cyprus problem serves the interests of the imperialist powers, adding that the trade unions oppose the status quo. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency