In north nicosia, eggs were thrown at the office of the deputy prime minister against the backdrop of a strike by koop employees

On Tuesday, August 19, employees of North Cyprus cooperative companies threw eggs at the office of Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Ataoğlu in North Nicosia and spilled water mixed with halloumi on the ground, continuing their strike against alleged austerity measures, according to the press.

Workers at Koop Bank and its subsidiaries are demanding that the company officially distance itself from the reportedly prepared eight-point austerity plan, which includes: stopping work for pension recipients, canceling the 13th salary, withholding the cost-of-living allowance (CoLA), and halving holiday bonuses. Additionally, the protesters are contesting plans to lay off 44 employees.

Koop Bank is one of the largest employers in the northern part of the island; besides the bank, it also operates the insurance company Seker Insurance, the dairy enterprise Koop Sut, and the feed factory Binboga, making potential disruptions in banking and related services possible if staff actions continue.

The leader of the Koop-Sen union, Mehmetali Gyürez, stated that communication with the government has broken down and accused members of the ruling coalition of retaliatory attempts. According to him, protests will persist at the bank's headquarters. The bank’s CEO, Kemal Ataman, filed a police report following the office storming and is demanding an end to the vandalism, writes the newspaper Yeniduzen.

For residents, this may mean temporary difficulties with service at Koop branches and delays in related services; if the conflict escalates, further demonstrations at banking and registry institutions are possible.