United Metal Workers Union on Strike

The United Metal Workers Union went on strike in Eskişehir (central Anatolia) for the first time in 21 years of the collective bargaining agreement with the Metal Industry Association (MESS). The Süsler Household Appliances as part of the Doruk factory in the industrial area posted a banner featuring "This work place is on strike".

600 workers participated in the strike that was started on Wednesday (23 March). The President of the United Metal Workers Union, Adnan Serdaroğlu, announced, "We are on strike here also for the workers who are members of Turkish Metal".

Serdaroğlu conceded that some unions gave in upon the insistence of MESS. "We are on strike not only for an increase of our wages but also against flexible employment", he stated.

Reasons for the strike

The United Metal Workers Union goes on strike for the following reasons:

* A pay raise of 5.35 percent is too low. Most of the companies did not experience too much trouble during the crisis in 2008 due to stimuli from the government. But the workers experienced a crises in terms of backspacing their working and living conditions. This does not correspond at all to the growth of the metal sector starting in the second half of the year 2009 and especially in 2010.

* The system of pay raise abolished the principles of the collective agreement. Different pay raises in every workplace are the reason for different salaries of workers in different workplaces with the same number of working hours.

* The amendments of Work Law No. 4857 and the government's draft bills carry the danger of amendments beyond the will power of the involved parties after the collective bargaining agreement is signed. The collective bargaining system is actually not suitable because collective bargaining agreements are signed by the involved parties according to their free will. The involved parties must not sign agreements that include the option of amendments beyond their will.

The strike was supported by representatives of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK), the Community Centres, the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP), the Turkish Communist Party (TKP), the Labour Party (EMEP) and the Republican People's Party (CHP).

The strike will include a total of 15,000 metal workers and will be carried on with in places mainly located on the outskirts of Istanbul:

24 March 2011- Standart Depo (Kocaeli Branch)
28 March 2011- Kroman Çelik (Gebze Branch)
29 March 2011- Areva (Gebze Branch)
30 Mach 2011- Bekaert (Kocaeli Branch)
1 April 2011- Bosal Mimaysan (Gebze Branch)
4 April 2011- Çimsataş (Anadolu Branch)
6 April 2011- ABB Elektrik (Istanbul 1^st Branch)
8 April 2011- Arfesan (Gebze Branch)
11 April 2011- RSA (Istanbul 2^nd Branch) (NV/EÖ/VK)