Workers go on strike at İzmir's Bayraklı Municipality

Following the failure to reach an agreement in the TİS negotiations, workers gathered in the courtyard of the municipal building and chanted slogans.

A banner reading "There is a strike at this workplace" was hung on the municipal building by the workers.

Değer Yıldız, President of the DİSK Genel İş İzmir Branch No. 6, told reporters that they had launched the strike as of tonight after failing to achieve results from the TİS negotiations.

Stating that Bayraklı Municipality offered a salary of 42 thousand 8 Turkish Lira in the A group at the 20 percent tax bracket, Yıldız said, "They offered this wage including social rights. The figures vary for others, but this is our lowest base figure at the moment. Negotiations are ongoing. Previously, our contract was one of the best among neighboring municipalities. We want our contract to return to the position it held 2 years ago. We are currently a long way from that position. We will continue to maintain our strike decision until we reach that point."

Yıldız stated that the strike covers approximately 1,400 union-member workers.

Stating that they have been conducting TİS negotiations for five months, Yıldız said, "Let all the people of Bayraklı know this. From today on, the reason for the accumulation of trash is not the Bayraklı municipal workers or the DİSK Genel İş Union. From this hour on, the person responsible for every service that will be lacking in this city is primarily the Social Democratic Employers' Association (SODEM-SEN) and the Mayor of Bayraklı himself. We are no longer responsible for this matter. We are not the interlocutors either."

Following the statement, the workers continued their protest by dancing halay in the municipal building's courtyard.