100th Day of the Sputnik Strike
The strike by journalists at the Turkey office of the Russian state agency Sputnik has reached its 100th day. On this 100th day (Friday, November 24), the journalists will hold a mass press conference in what is one of the longest-running press strikes in recent Turkish history.
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Twenty-four journalists who were dismissed for organizing with the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) have been on strike for 100 days, demanding reinstatement, the recognition of their union rights, and a collective bargaining agreement. A mass press conference will be held tomorrow (Friday, November 24) at 12:30 PM in front of the Süzer Plaza, where the Sputnik Turkey office is located. In the evening, a social media campaign will be conducted.
WHAT HAPPENED AT SPUTNIK?
In the union organizing process that began at Sputnik Turkey in August 2022, a sufficient majority was reached in the first days of 2023. Sputnik employees, led by the TGS, applied to the Ministry of Labor for authorization. When the employer did not object to the authorization during the legal process, collective bargaining agreement (TİS) negotiations began. Nine meetings were held over the course of several months. Agreements were reached on some articles, and these were recorded in minutes. However, when it came to the issue of wages, the employer side walked away from the negotiating table. The Turkish managers at Sputnik set up "persuasion rooms" to convince members to resign and exerted pressure on the journalists.
Following this, Sputnik employees decided to go on strike on July 24. However, the journalists who participated in the press conference that day were dismissed on August 7 in total disregard of the Constitution. Consequently, TGS members at Sputnik began their strike on August 17.
Despite the strike, the Sputnik management resumed radio broadcasts on September 11. Although hiring is prohibited at a workplace where a strike is ongoing, many people were hired. The strikers, who have been reacting to the failure to open channels of dialogue since the beginning of the process, are calling on the ministry and authorized institutions to accelerate the legal process.