IndustriALL Global Union

01/10/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/10/2025 02:26

Turkish metal workers continue to resist

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10 January, 2025Defying the Presidential strike ban, United Metalworkers' Union (Birlesik Metal-Is) members continue their strike with unity, solidarity and resolve.

In early December last year, Birlesik Metal-Is decided to go on strike in the workplaces: GE Grid Solutions, Hitachi Electric, Schneider Electric, Arıtaş Kriyojenik (part of Dutch Broadview Group) and Green Trafo (part of French Cahors Group) companies in the transformer-production sector.

A Presidential decree on 13 December banned strikes at MESS workplaces for national security reasons. IndustriALL Global and industriAll European Union condemned the ban, urging employers not to exploit this anti-democratic measure.

Despite threats of dismissal without severance for participating in a so-called illegal strike, metal workers continued their action, asserting their fundamental right to strike and are already seeing results.

On 23 December, Birlesik Metal-Is signed a new collective bargaining agreement with Hitachi and MESS covering four different workplaces of the company with a 60 per cent wage increase in average after a 20-day strike.

Similarly, on 6 January, Birlesik Metal-Is signed another collective bargaining agreement with Schneider Elektrik after a 25-day strike covering different factories with substantial wage increases with the approval of the rank-and-file membership.

The strikes are on the 28th day at GE Grid Solutions, on the 16th day at Green Transfo and 22nd day at Arıtaş as of 9 January. While the strike fire is still on, some negotiations are still going on.

IndustriALL's assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan, spent New Year's Eve with the strikers at Green Trafo bringing the solidarity greetings of millions of members of the global and European trade unions.

Meanwhile, members of IndustriALL affiliate Özçelik-Is at Yolbulan Metal in Hatay, Türkiye, have been on strike since 20 June last year, over 200 days, demanding fair wages amid soaring living costs. Kemal Özkan was present in the picket-line delivering a strong message of international solidarity.

According to the data announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 44.38 per cent for 2024. According to the Inflation Research Group (ENAG), which consists of independent academics, the inflation rate for 2024 is 83.40 per cent.

Given the high inflation, Turkish workers and their unions continue to demand wages through minimum wage increase and collective bargaining processes accordingly so that purchasing power can be protected.

Turkish workers and their unions rightly continue to demand wages through minimum wage increase and collective bargaining processes so that purchasing power can be protected.

"IndustriAll Europe fully supports Turkish workers in their fight for fair and decent wages that are proportional to the countries high inflation. The fact that workers have been banned from striking is an attack on their rights and we will continue to condemn any anti-union and anti-democratic behaviours. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,"

says Judith Kirton Darling, industriAll Europe general secretary.

"We continue to be side-by-side with all the strikers until the victory arrives,"

said Kemal Özkan during the solidarity visits.

"Our striking Turkish sisters and brothers have the full support of millions of workers throughout the world in their fight for their rights, interests and dignity,"

continued Kemal Özkan.