Latest Parliamentary Speeches
The General Assembly of the Assembly of the Republic has been ongoing, with various members making speeches about different issues. One such member is CTP Nicosia Deputy Product Solyalı, who expressed his embarrassment while reading the Financial and Economic Cooperation Protocol. Solyalı highlighted that there were “very simple transactions” in the text and questioned whether they were included because the party and society were unable to implement them, or whether the other party saw them as incapable. He also criticized the fact that the protocol envisages amendments to many laws but that if a change in laws is envisaged, a ratification law should be adopted in accordance with Article 90 of the Constitution. According to Solyalı, the protocol was indexed to foreign currency, resulting in a loss of 100 million pounds in the budget due to the depreciation of the TL from the day the protocol was prepared which was an example of “unforeseen”. He claimed that society was “willfully” trying to impoverish it and criticized the articles on collective bargaining agreements, pointing out that Article 54 of the Constitution regulates these agreements.
Minister of Labor and Social Security, Hasan Taçoy, responded to the opposition’s criticisms of the 2022 protocol, stating that they had fulfilled many of the articles in the protocol, and that the unpopular parts had been softened by mutual talks. Taçoy said the labor law rules are valid in cases where there is no collective bargaining agreement regarding unions and collective bargaining agreements. He stated that, in accordance with the agreement between the two countries, products from Turkey come to the island with their TL value, and customs are taken over them, but if they are converted to Euro in a euro-indexed accounting, the prices will change daily. He also gave details about price calculations in customs clearance and conveyed the differences in the calculations made in foreign currency and TL. Taçoy emphasized that the inclusion of a disabled person in working life should not mean that their salary should be cut.
CTP Nicosia Deputy Doğuş Derya also made a speech, criticizing the lack of measures taken by the government for disadvantaged groups of the society. Derya shared some data on the disadvantaged groups of the society and drew attention to the problems experienced by these groups, including the high rate of women’s unemployment, the lack of equal pay for equal work, and the increasing number of unemployed women. Derya criticized the lack of a state nursery for children aged 0-3, which hinders parents who cannot afford private nurseries from working. Derya also criticized the policies for the disabled, stating that there are unresolved problems and discrimination against people with disabilities who are 18+. Derya argued that the protocols signed during the current economic crisis have made the state lose its social state character.
In response to Derya’s criticisms, Taçoy stated that they transferred from the Shelter Fund to the Disabled Life House, and that the house rented for Lapta Nursing Home in 2008 was used as a retirement home. He also stated that there are problems arising from the living together of people with mental disabilities and those who can stand on their own feet, and that they could not fulfill the requirements of being a social state. Taçoy gave information about various projects they are working on and said that they always try to make the renovations with donations.
