350 workers on strike in the Aegean Free Zone! Warning from the union to the employer

Şenol ÇARIK-12punto.com.tr

As the strike by 350 Birleşik Metal-İş members at GATES factories in İzmir enters its 6th day, it has been reported that the GATES boss is attempting to have the strike postponed. The union stated, "No one should pin their hopes on strike bans! Our union's glorious history is full of examples of consigning strike bans to the trash. We warn the government and the employer: Respect the fundamental and constitutional rights of workers."

"Workers who are members of the DISK Birleşik Metal-İş Union at the US company Gates Endüstriyel Metal Kauçuk Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ (GATES), which operates in the Aegean Free Zone in Gaziemir, İzmir, went on strike on March 8 after no agreement could be reached in collective bargaining negotiations. As the strike initiated by a total of 350 workers at the company's three factories enters its 6th day today, the union announced that 'the GATES employer has applied to the Ministry of Labor to have the strike postponed.'"

In a written statement issued by the General Executive Board of the DISK-affiliated Birleşik Metal-İş Union, it was said, "The duty of the employer is not to attempt to postpone/ban the strike, but to listen to the workers and provide a raise that will end the workers' struggle to live and work below the hunger and poverty line. No one should pin their hopes on strike bans. Our union's glorious history is full of examples of consigning strike bans to the trash. Strike bans are a clear intervention in the right to union organization."

Pointing out that according to the 'Law on Collective Labor Agreements, Strikes, and Lockouts' No. 6356, 'a strike or lockout can be postponed if it is of a nature that disrupts general health or national security,' the statement continued, "This workplace, where the strike postponement application was made, produces for the automotive supply industry and manufactures tensioner bearings. These goods are also exported. Therefore, it is absurd for a workplace that produces for the automotive supply industry and has no connection to domestic production to disrupt the country's national security. We believe that the Ministry of Labor and the Presidency will not fall into such a delusion and will not attempt to ban our strike."

'WE DO NOT RECOGNIZE UNLAWFUL STRIKE BANS'

The statement recalled strikes that were banned in recent years under the name of "strike postponement" by the Birleşik Metal-İş union.

• In 2015, in 38 enterprises within the scope of the MESS Group Collective Labor Agreement,

• In 2017, at the Asil Çelik workplace in Bursa,

• In 2017, in 4 enterprises in the energy sector,

• In 2018, in 179 enterprises where 3 unions, including Birleşik Metal-İş, were organized within the scope of the MESS Group Collective Labor Agreement,

• In 2022, at the Bekaert workplace in Kocaeli,

• And finally, in 2023, the strikes of Birleşik Metal-İş member workers at the Green Transfo Energy workplace in Gebze/Kocaeli were banned.

Emphasizing that these strike bans are clearly contrary to the laws, the Constitution, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87, the statement pointed out that the union does not recognize these unlawful bans in many workplaces and that its members uphold their right to strike:

"We have upheld our right to strike, which stems from the Constitution and was unlawfully banned, in various workplaces and carried out our strikes in practice. For example, we carried out a de facto strike for 18 days at the Bekaert workplace, where the strike was banned in 2022. During the group collective bargaining process we conducted with the Electromechanical Employers' Union (EMIS) in 2016, the contract was signed on the 3rd day of the strike we continued against the postponement of our strike. Last year, we carried out a de facto strike for 1 day at the Green Transfo Energy workplace in Gebze/Kocaeli, and our contract was concluded with an agreement on the evening of the same day. Furthermore, our application to the Constitutional Court regarding the strike postponement made for 38 enterprises within the scope of the 2015 MESS Group Collective Labor Agreement resulted in our union's favor, and the court fined the government 50 thousand TL."

'WE WARN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE EMPLOYER'

In its statement, the Birleşik Metal-İş Union warned the GATES employer and the political government to "respect the fundamental rights of workers" and announced that it would continue the strike under any circumstances:
"Do not create obstacles to workers exercising their constitutional and legal rights. Do not ban our strikes. Do not attempt to hand over the rights that workers will gain through strikes and collective agreements to the bosses. Respect the fundamental rights of workers. The solution is not through strike bans, but by meeting the legitimate demands of the workers. We will continue our strike under all conditions and circumstances until we sign the collective agreement where we will secure the rights of GATES workers."

News Source: Şenol Çarık