Fuel stocks available despite indefinite K-Pet strike, petrol station owners say
Petrol station owners’ chairman Levent Cagdal says fuel stocks remain available as an indefinite K-Pet strike continues over nine dismissals.
Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot petrol station owners’ association chairman Levent Cagdal said on Wednesday that existing fuel stocks meant the community need not fear shortages. His comments followed Tuesday’s announcement of an indefinite strike by employees of Cyprus Turkish Petroleum (K-Pet), the community’s largest fuel supplier.
Stocks remain available
Cagdal said the strike had halted deliveries to K-Pet petrol stations, but stocks remained available. Other oil companies were still delivering fuel to stations operated by other companies, he added.
He also said mediation efforts were under way to resolve the dispute.
Dispute over nine dismissals
The strike was initially called after K-Pet announced plans to dismiss nine employees. Turkish Cypriot fuel workers’ trade union Petrol-Is said on Tuesday that talks involving its representatives, K-Pet representatives and Turkish Cypriot ‘labour minister’ Oguzhan Hasipoglu had produced no agreement.
According to Petrol-Is, K-Pet sought 24 hours to consider a proposal to reinstate the nine workers and adequately address the staffing requirements linked to their roles. The union said it opted for an indefinite strike once that period had elapsed.
Petrol-Is also reported that an investigation by the Turkish Cypriot ‘finance ministry’ had identified procedural failings at the K-Pet board meeting where the dismissals were approved. It said some board members had not been notified of the decision.
The union said it valued the company’s financial health but maintained that K-Pet had already earned substantial profits. It urged the labour ministry to consider the procedural failings and reject the dismissals.
Hasipoglu rejects termination procedure
Speaking to Haber Kibris Web TV on Wednesday, Hasipoglu said he considered the motions concerning the termination notices procedurally improper and had told K-Pet that he rejected them.
Although the company had notified the nine workers of their dismissal, Hasipoglu said his ministry regarded them as still employed by K-Pet.
He also questioned the company’s reported argument that dismissing the nine employees was necessary to reduce costs.
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