Starbucks workers in Turkey speak out: '18-hour shifts, no clear job definition'

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"Happy Eid to everyone. We couldn't spend the Eid with our families because we had to work."

"What they ask you to do for the minimum wage: standing at the cash register, preparing coffee, taking care of the food section, washing the dishes, doing cleaning and collecting the garbage."

Since mid-2021, we have witnessed workers' resistances, especially those of delivery workers. Workers of Yemeksepeti and Getir, two online food delivery companies, have become the symbol of workers' resistance. Now, the resistance and union struggle of Starbucks workers has become a talking point.

Starbucks workers are trying to make their voices and demands for rights heard not only in Turkey but also around the world. Recently, Starbucks workers in Denver, US, carried out a strike and unionized.

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— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) May 2, 2022

Starbucks workers in Buffalo were the first ones who carried out a strike and won. The resistance of the Amazon workers was a guiding light for them.

Let's take a look at what Starbucks workers, who have been called on to unionize worldwide, are experiencing in Turkey.

Starbucks workers speak out

Starbucks workers who spoke to bianet said they don't have a job definition and they do anything and any time. Among them are making coffee, working at the cash register, dumping the garage, and cleaning the store.

According to the workers' account, their break times are not certain and the store managers interfere even with their cigarette breaks. One of the workers summarizes the situation as follows:

"I've been working at Starbucks for nearly three years and there is no type of mobbing that I haven't experienced. Even our cigarette breaks are a separate talking point at the store. Even us going to the toilet... Toilet is a human need, after all.

"Literally, time is kept when we go to the toilet. The same happens when we take a break: 'Come on, is it over? When will it be over?' Using the half-an-hour break has become a reason for being berated."

Photo: Social media

Pressure from store managers

Store managers establish personal relationships by asking questions and talking about topics that are unrelated to the job, and then insult the employees, said the worker.

"I have witnessed the change of the store manager many times. Every new manager has their own style, and you try to adapt to this.

"My last store manager was putting pressure both professionally and psychologically. Most of these people who are put in managerial positions do not go through any training."

No division of labor

In addition to the work in the store, they also try to keep up with the orders, said the worker.

"There is no division of labor. What they ask you to do for the minimum wage: standing at the cash register, preparing coffee, taking care of the food section, washing the dishes, doing cleaning and collecting the garbage.

"Not to mention the frequency of orders on Yemeksepeti. Will we keep up with Yemeksepeti orders, or orders in the store? Will we do the cleaning or coffee? When we express these, we are exiled to another store.

"We are getting through things like collecting garbage, dumping the garbage, being berated while working, being accused of stealing and then learning that it was a 'joke.' It is so clear that they don't know what it is like to be accused of stealing."

Working conditions

About being "exiled" to another store, the worker said, "While one cup of coffee is 40 lira at Starbucks, our travel allowance is only 250 lira. Some friends of ours have to use two or three vehicles to go to work. No additional payment is ever made. After dumping the garbage and doing the cleaning, we can only leave the store at 11 p.m.

"Some of our friends have to get up at 5 a.m. to get to work on time. We spend 18 hours of the day standing for 4,250 lira and each of us does the job that needs to be done by at least four people."

(TY/VK)