Labour Movement in Turkey (15 August - 15 September 2023)

All over Turkey, workers are reacting to the poor working and living conditions through strikes and resistance. Workers who unionized to change the conditions imposed on them do not allow the dismissal attack.

• In Tanzania, around 2,000 workers from Turkey at the railway construction site of Turkey-based construction company Yapı Merkezi went on a 13-day strike over 7 months’ unpaid wages. Led by Dev-Yapı-İş union, workers won their struggle on August 19.
• On August 22, workers from Agrobay Greenhouse in Izmir were fired without compensation after getting unionised under Tarım-Sen union. Workers continue to resist for their rights in front of the greenhouse despite the pressure of the military forces.
• On 27 August, Sakarya Courthouse subcontracted workers made a press statement against being unemployed on the grounds of “savings measures”
• In Istanbul Esenyurt warehouse of Trendyol, workers were organised in DGD-SEN and PTT-SEN. On 28 August, the workers started resistance following increasing union pressure and the dismissal of the workplace union representative.
• Workers from Turkey and Syria from Amana Foods factory in Kocaeli were organized under the Koop-İş union. The workers refused to bow down to the hostility to the union and took actions on August 28.
• The government’s hostility to workers was reflected in the protests of education workers. The police prevented the press statement of private sector teachers against the imposition of minimum wage.
• Workers from Sputnik Turkey have been on strike since 17 August after the collective bargaining negotiations were blocked between the Journalists Union of Turkey and Sputnik Turkey.
• Organised under Lastik-İş union, workers from Corning Optik in Gebze/Kocaeli have been on strike with enthusiasm since 14 July.
• In August, workers took strike actions in many municipalities all over Turkey to demand an additional raises. Workers from Mamak, Etimesgut and Yenimahalle municipalities in Ankara, Dilovası municipality in Kocaeli, Bayraklı, Bornova and Buca Municipalities in Izmir demanded an additional protocols during during the month of August. Workers from Silivri, Bayrampaşa and Esenler municipalities in Istanbul also reacted against Hizmet-İş union, of which they are members, and stopped work on their own initiative.
• Antep is an important industrial city where labour protests spread this year as in 2022. In the past period, many companies from Antep had a place in the list of Turkey's first 100 largest companies. In the city where the textile sector constitutes a significant part of the industry, the bosses broke export records. After the increase in the minimum wage in July, workers in many textile factories took actions demanding an additional raise. Workers from Şireci Tekstil, Boyar Kimya, MDZ İplik, Artemis Halı and Ahenk Halı managed to get their demands widely. Workers from Gama Tekstil and Erkaplan still continue their struggle. The boss of the Erkaplan factory had to accept workers wage demands, but not the BİRTEK-SEN union. Workers refused to resign from union and decided to continue the resistance.
• Another important sector in which the demand for additional raises spread is the defense industry. On 23 and 24 August, workers from branches of the Türk-İş/ Harb-İş union in the Istanbul, Ankara, Kocaeli and Kayseri gathered in city squares and raised their demands.
• Upon call of Enerji-Sen union, workers from ISKI, IGDAS and Enerji AS gathered in front of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Workers demand better working conditions and wages.
• DİSK/Enerji-Sen union member workers working at Tunceli Fırat Elektrik Dağıtım AŞ (FEDAŞ) have been taking actions against low wages and poor working conditions since August 9.
• On September, Home Care workers from the subcontractor company of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality protested once again in front of the municipality building. Workers demand the promise of abolition of subcontracting be kept.
• Coal Miners at Yunus Emre Termal Plant of Doruk Mining, an affiliate of SSS Yıldızlar Holding, went on a hunger strike to get their unpaid wages and demand higher wages. They have suspended their strike on promises.
• On September 11, health workers at Ege University Faculty of Medicine Hospital started protests again demanding the payment of their retroactive receivables.
• At Esenler 15 July State Housing Development Administration (TOKI) construction site, workers from DİSK/Dev Yapı-İş union took action the usurped wages by climbing on a tower crane.
• Istanbul Labour, Peace and Democracy Forces carried out an action in Kadıköy Square, İstanbul on the occasion of September 1, World Peace Day.
• The group collective bargaining agreement process in the metal sector has begun with the preliminary raise demand of Birleşik Metal-Iş union. The MESS agreement, the largest and most comprehensive agreement in the private sector, will continue with the actions of metal workers.