Teachers in north demand payment in euros

The head of the Turkish Cypriot secondary education teachers said Monday that the north should use the euro instead of the Turkish lira as a way to protect people from the effects of the economic crisis in Turkey.

In the past couple of months, Turkish Cypriots have seen their standard of living plummet as the effects of the Turkish lira plunge spread to the north.

Ktoeos head Selma Eylem said during a news conference that her union will not be silent on the matter, asking the Turkish Cypriot administration to adopt the European currency.

Eylem said apart from the reduction in the people’s buying power, there were also price hikes imposed by the authorities. She added that the euro must be used for salaries and not the Turkish lira.

Eylem also said efforts must be made to restart reunification talks from where they ended in Crans-Montana last year.

Meanwhile, staff at the Turkish Cypriot assembly went on an indefinite strike on Monday to protest the crisis and the austerity measures.

 

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.