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

Workers all over Turkey are mounting their struggle against compounded exploitation through unionisation, strikes and resistance.

• Electricity distribution workers of DEDAŞ stopped work in 70 districts of Diyarbakır, Mardin, Şanlıurfa, Siirt, Batman, and Şırnak. Faced with dismissal attack, DEDAŞ workers started a resistance in front of the company headquarters.
• To reclaim their unpaid wages, workers from Kent company, one of the subsidiaries of İzmir Karşıyaka Municipality, staged a protest on July 21 together with Genel-İş union.
• On July 21, KESK organised nationwide demonstrations under the slogan “Justice in Taxes and Decent Wages!”
• On July 28, hundreds of workers from 23 AKP-run municipalities in Istanbul staged a protest with their union Hizmet-İş. The workers gathered in front of the headquarters of the employers’ union and carried banners reading “Rent costs 10.000 liras, salary is 12.000 Liras.” and “We cannot make ends meet!”
• Between 18 and 24 July, pensioners staged protests against the miserable 25% pay raise in various cities across Turkey.
• On 23 and 24 July, Eskişehir Labor and Democracy Forces held a public meeting under the slogan “People of Eskişehir Gather against Price Increases and Poverty”. They protested the high cost of living and poor wages.
• The collective bargaining negotiations between Sputnik Turkey and TGS (the Journalists Union of Turkey) yielded no result. On 24 July, workers went on strike. Sputnik boss responded with dismissal. The resistance continues.
• DISK organized protests in the workplaces and city squares titled “Raise Your Voice against Price Increases, Unjust Taxes and Poor Living Conditions!” Workers protested the heavy burden of the economic destruction imposed on them.
• In Gebze, Corning Optik workers from DİSK/Lastik-İş Union continue their strike with determination. UİD-DER keeps standing in solidarity with the fighting workers. Solidarity visits refresh the enthusiasm of the strike.
• The unforgettable leader of Maden-İş and the founder of DISK, Kemal Türkler was commemorated at his grave on the 43rd anniversary of his murder. Carrying Kemal Türkler’s combative class unionism and Maden-İş tradition to the younger generations, UİD-DER also took part in the commemoration.
• The subcontracted cleaning and patient care workers of Koç University Hospital have been on strike since August 1. They demand better wages and working conditions along with the abolition of subcontracting.
• At Bilsar textile factory in Çorum, which employs 670 workers, 28 workers from Öz İplik-İş union were dismissed. Workers started an action in front of the factory to demand union recognition.
• At the construction site of the TOGG automobile factory in Bursa, workers employed by Anel Electric and Sinay Energy (subcontractors of Yapı Merkezi) did not get their wages for two months. Organized under İnşaat ve Yapı İşçileri Union, they took action and won on the second day.
• In Samsun, 70 workers at the construction site of Tekkeköy State Hospital and more than 600 workers at the construction of İzmir City Hospital protested over 2 months’ unpaid wages and poor quality of food.
• The subcontracted workers at Kemerköy Thermal Power Plant of YK Energy have been unpaid for 3 months. On August 3, 536 workers took action and blocked the gates of the plant.
• IZENERJI and IZELMAN workers in Izmir, who are members of Genel-İş union, stopped work to reclaim their unpaid wages arising from the collective agreement.
• At Has chicken factory on 1 August, Tekgıda-İş union organised a warning action against hostility towards unionisation.
• Eker workers from Tekgıda-İş union were subjected to pressure by the employer because they were union members. On August 10, the workers held a press statement to protest the employer in front of the company’s headquarters in Istanbul.
• On August 4, Avcılar Municipality workers from Belediye-İş union held a one-day strike to demand additional pay raise in the face of the rising cost of living.
• 21 unions and professional organizations came together under the Health and Social Service Unity and Struggle Platform. Upon call of the unions and organizations, thousands of healthcare workers held a one-day strike on August 1, the day when collective bargaining negotiations began. Workers held hundreds of press releases and demonstrations in hospitals, union branches and in front of health directorates.
• In Gaziantep, on August 7 and 8, workers from Akso Textile and Koza Carpet factories took strike action against poor pay raises.
• On August 8, workers from Ankara Mamak Municipality, who are members of Hizmet-İş Union, held a one-day strike against the poor pay raises.
• Organized under Türk-İş/ Sağlık-İş Union, workers from Ege University hospital stopped work to reclaim their unpaid wages arising from the collective bargaining agreement.
• YK Energy, an affiliate of Limak Holding, is destroying Akbelen forest in order to supply coal to Yeniköy and Kemerköy thermal plants. Local community and environmental organizations are fighting to stop the company which relies on the backing of the government, judiciary and military forces. The cutting of trees for the mine site has been completed. But the resistance continue to prevent further tree cutting and opening up of new mines.
• Ağaç A.Ş workers from DİSK/BTO Union gathered in front of the İstanbul Municipality. They raised their voices against low wages.
• In Gaziantep, 2,000 Şireci textile workers stopped work for 6 days against poor pay raise. They held a mass press release in Democracy Square on August 13. The next day, the workers managed to get their demands met by the boss.