Unions meet at Ledra Palace to discuss all-island forum

REPRESENTATIVES from unions on both sides of the Green Line met at the Ledra Palace yesterday to begin organising the third All-Cyprus Trade Union Forum.

The forum is due to take place on May 28 and 29, a joint announcement from the six main unions said yesterday.

Three trade unions from each side will take part in the forum: left-wing Peo, right-wing Sek and public service union Pasidy from the government- controlled side, and Turkish Cypriot unions Turk-Sen, Ktams and Dev-Is.

According to yesterday’s announcement, the third forum will focus on a review of developments since the last forum in 1998 as well as on issues such as social security.

The trade union forums are designed to build confidence between the two sides and to help put in place a working system prior to an eventual solution based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation.

Contacts between the two sides have come to a virtual standstill since the end of 1997, when Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash called a halt to meetings in protest at the EU’s decision to open accession talks with Cyprus.

Meanwhile, the UN yesterday announced that it had closed down its Limassol liaison office for Turkish Cypriots due to a lack of interest.

The office was set up two years ago to assist 300 or so Turkish Cypriots living in the government-controlled areas and to organise Turkish language and culture classes.

“Despite widespread advertising both through the media and by word of mouth, only 11 visits have been made to the office in the past two years and no children have shown interest in following language and culture classes,” an Unficyp statement said.

However, the UN will continue to visit police stations and welfare offices in Polis, Paphos and Limassol and will call at Turkish Cypriot homes as required and at the Turkish Cypriot coffee shop in Limassol.

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