Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Wednesday announced that there is “no longer grounds” for him to continue attempting to mediate between the north’s ruling coalition and trade union leaders as a general strike over planned cuts to the cost-of-living allowance continues.

“For the past few days, we … have been making intense efforts to reduce tensions and, if possible, to create an environment for dialogue,” he said, while also stressing that his efforts “have been limited to ensuring that the parties’ proposals and demands are conveyed to each other and that possibilities are presented”.

However, he said, “at this point, no solution has been reached”.

“It has been assessed that there is no longer a basis for [me] to continue to make the same efforts,” he said, before adding that his office will “continue to make every effort to fulfil the duties assigned to it by the constitution and legislation, as it has done until now”.

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Erhurman had first found himself in the eye of the storm last week, engaging in a war of words with ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel after the ruling coalition had bypassed the Turkish Cypriot legislature to pass a decree freezing payments of the cost-of-living allowance for public sector workers until next year at the earliest.

Ustel had been incensed after Erhurman had said the coalition had gone “behind the backs” of the Turkish Cypriot people in issuing the decree after having initially appeared to be open for talks with trade unions after failing to pass a bill ordering the cuts through the legislature.

As such, he described Erhurman as “detached from the realities of the country and the world”, with Erhurman having likened Ustel to a “bad April fool’s joke”.

This week, Erhurman had held repeated rounds of talks with both the coalition and trade unions in an attempt to foster dialogue between the two sides, and even joined protesters outside the legislature building on Tuesday, before appearing inside the building when protesters managed to breach its doors, calling for calm.

On Wednesday afternoon, the ruling coalition had published a proposal under which public sector workers earning 75,000TL (€1,442) per month or less when the cost-of-living allowance is included will be paid the cost-of-living allowance in full, and that those earning more would be paid half of their allotted allowance, unless that cut would see their salary drop below 75,000TL.

In those cases, they would earn 75,000TL exactly, with this system set to remain in force until the end of the year.

The unions were in no mood for compromise, however, with Cyprus Turkish teachers’ trade union (Ktos) leader Burak Mavish saying that the unions “will neither accept nor discuss this proposal”.

“The government has once again demonstrated its malicious intent by insisting on passing a law … on the fourth day of the general strike, when the people are on the streets. The only thing the government should do today is withdraw the bill and resign,” he said.

Erhurman had met the ruling coalition for the final time after the publication of that proposal.