Mahle Mopisan Workers Start Struggle

More than 500 workers of Germany rooted Mahle Mopisan’s factory in İzmir Gaziemir Free Trade Zone, are sacked because of unionization with United Metal Workers Union. The boss of Mahle Mopisan exerted pressure to supress the workers. The managers of the gangster union, Turk Metal, were called to the rescue by the boss who realized the determination of workers for unionization in the factory.

More than 500 Mahle Mopisan workers had started to join United Metal Workers’ Union (BMIS) in january 2010. BMIS applied to the Ministry of Labor for being officially registered as the union that has the right to represent the workers. But just after this application the boss sacked 4 workers. He also brought a notary and the managers of the gangster Turk-Metal Union to the workplace and forced the workers in the office to join Turk-Metal Union, the henchman of the boss. The members of BMIS are being forced to quit or transfer to Turk-Metal.

Forcing the workers to pay the bill for the crisis does not satisfy the bosses, they are also precluding unionization, sacking and assaulting more violently. In Isuzu Factory, where the United Metal Workers’ Union is authorized, 220 workers were sacked. Just after that the same happened to 108 workers of Akkardan Factory. Then 600 from Tariş… And now Mahle Mopisan workers are fired. Assaults are increasingly continued in the form of mass-sackings. It could not be said that unions oppose these as needed. But unions are organizations of the workers and they must respond to these attacks as needed, with fighting back.