Law enforcement intervenes against Polonez workers fired for union membership

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At the Polonez Gıda factory located in Çatalca, Istanbul, which is 77 percent Jordanian-owned, workers who are members of the Tekgıda-İş Union were pushed hundreds of meters away after their protest area in front of the factory was blockaded by law enforcement the other day. When the workers objected to the situation and attempted to return to the factory entrance, they were subjected to a harsh intervention by law enforcement. Many union members, including executives from the Tekgıda-İş Union, which is affiliated with Türk-İş, were injured during the intervention. The workers, who then headed to the Çatalca District Governorate, kept watch there until morning.

Making a press statement regarding the ongoing process, Tekgıda-İş Union President Mustafa Türkel said, “The workers at the Polonez factory exercised their right to organize, which the Constitution grants to all citizens, by joining our union. However, the same scenario has once again been implemented by capital. First, they tried to force them to resign from the union through threats and pressure; when the workers did not resign, they resorted to firing them, spreading fear, and finally, unleashing the state's law enforcement forces upon the workers.

As the Tekgıda-İş Union, we advocate for a working life in an environment of peace and tranquility where everyone protects and respects each other's rights, and we fulfill our responsibilities to ensure this in all workplaces where we are organized. At the very top of our principles, alongside protecting and increasing the rights and interests of our members, is the goal of ensuring that businesses/workplaces continue to operate and grow. Our 72-year history is the clearest indicator of this.”

Mustafa Türkel continued his statement with the following words:

“We call on the Security Forces to immediately abandon the violence and intimidation policy they have been implementing for days, and to protect the workers who have been deprived of their rights and lost their jobs from this injustice! We also invite the police and all public institution administrators to act not in the interests of any person or capital group, but as those responsible for the fair application of the Laws of the Republic of Turkey for everyone.

We once again call on the Jordanian employer who owns the Polonez factory to respect the laws and citizens of this country. You do not have the right to fire workers who exercise the rights granted by the Constitution and the laws! You must recognize the right to union organization!

As the Tekgıda-İş Union, we will support the struggle of the Polonez workers until a union order is established in that factory. We call on you to stop breaking the law and viewing humans as mere production materials, and to shake the hand we have extended in friendship.”

News Source: 12punto