Over 2,400 municipal workers in İstanbul's Kadıköy go on strike

Photo: Tuğçe Yılmaz

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Over 2,400 municipal workers in İstanbul's Kadıköy district went on a one-day strike demanding better conditions.

The strike is part of the one-day strike organized by the Genel-İş Union affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Workers' Unions (DİSK) in the municipalities where it is organized.

The striking workers gathered in the courtyard of Kadıköy's municipal buildng to express their deamnds.

During the demosntration, a banner reading "End the discrimination against municipal company workers! We demand permanent employment!" was unveiled, and placards with slogans such as "We can't make ends meet," "We demand additional protocols," "Outsourcing is slavery," and "Surviving is not living with dignity" were held.

The four main demands of the municipal workers in the face of increasing poverty are:

- All wages should be improved for a decent life.

- The discrimination against municipal company workers should end, and all public employees should be equal in terms of their employment rights.

- Our permanent employment status and additional compensation rights should be granted immediately.

- Tax justice should be ensured, and the income tax deduction from salaries should be reduced.

During the strike, slogans such as "Price hikes, oppression, torture, and fascism," "We will obtain our employment status by fighting tooth and nail," "We will obtain our additional compensation rights by fighting tooth and nail," "Long live DİSK, long live Genel-İş," and "We will prevail by resisting" were chanted. The statement was read by Nazan Gevher Çam-Ay, the President of DİSK/Genel-İş İstanbul Anatolian Side Branch No. 1.

"Burden of the crisis in on workers"

Nazan Gevher Çam-Ay emphasized that the economic crisis in Turkey is deepening, leading to increasing livelihood problems for workers and laborers.

"While the exchange rates break historical records, inflation only decreases in the basket of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). However, price increases continue unabated in the markets.

"The cost of living is rising, and our purchasing power is decreasing day by day. Workers and laborers are being forced to bear the burden of a crisis for which they are not responsible.

"In order to return to 'rational policies' in economic management, the government is once again implementing a policy that prioritizes finance and capital circles."

Erdoing wages

Çam-Ay pointed out that despite the fundamental demands of workers, such as fair income distribution, tax justice, ensuring a decent living, and expanding trade union rights and freedoms, no steps have been taken. She emphasized that the erosion of wages is increasing day by day.

She said, "The wage increases obtained through collective bargaining agreements have eroded over time in the face of rising cost of living; what is given with one hand was tkane back with the other hand through taxes and price hikes."

She noted that in an environment where the number of unionized and collectively bargained workers nationwide does not exceed 10% of the total workforce, wages of all municipal workers are squeezed to the level of the legal minimum wage.

Gap with the minimum wage

She noted that in an environment where unionized and collectively bargained workers represent less than 10% of the workforce nationwide, wages are being decreased to the level of the legal minimum wage.

"In the past, even permanent workers in municipalities who used to earn several times the minimum wage are now approaching the minimum wage level.

For workers employed in municipal companies, the situation has become even more dire. In a significant portion of municipal companies, wages are at the level of the legal minimum wage.

Apart from the social benefits gained through collective agreements, the wages of all workers in municipalities are squeezed to the level of the minimum wage."

(TY/VK)