Turkish Cypriots unions demand minsters’ resignations and a return to Daylight Saving Time

Turkish Republic of North Cypriot (TRNC) unions are demanding the resignation of top government officials following the death of two teenage school girls and a bus driver in a road accident on Tuesday.

The platform of unions announced that they will be going on with industrial action until the heads of the relevant government offices in the TRNC resign and the time zone reversed back by one hour to implement Daylight Saving Time (DST).

The Turkish Cypriots public and pupils on Thursday staged a protest after the head-on collision that took place between a school bus and a lorry on the Girne-Değirmenlik mountain road at 7: am on Tuesday. 

Many took to social media to criticize the government’s decision not to revert to DST and the state of the road where the accident occurred.

The union platform issued a statement stating that from Friday evening and every evening onward, there will be a bonfire lit outside the coalition government offices and workers will stage a series of strikes on the day that the council of ministers meet.

“The demonstrations will intensify until the head of the transport office, Kemal Durust, the head of education, Dr Ozdemir Berova, and the head of labour, Ersan Saner, resign,” read the statement which added that the protests “will continue on until the clocks are set back by one hour, implementing DST like the rest of Europe” read the statement.

Cyprus Weekly