Day 5 of the strike: Cemil Tugay collects trash in İzmir, DİSK issues a statement! 'We are the true owners of İzmir'

Collective bargaining negotiations between the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and the DİSK Genel-İş Union have reached a deadlock.

Workers from İZELMAN, İZENERJİ, and Egeşehir have gone on strike. Following the strike of 23,000 workers, trash has begun to accumulate on the streets of İzmir.

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay went to Kordon and began collecting trash with the teams. While local residents and business owners supported Tugay's cleaning efforts, Ercan Gül, Branch President of DİSK Genel-İş No. 2, criticized Tugay's action, saying, "We are protecting our bread here."

According to footage shared by Eda Aktaş from Evrensel, Ercan Gül, Branch President of DİSK Genel-İş No. 2, made a statement after Tugay collected the trash, saying, "Most of our friends here have been here for 7-8 years. In other words, we are the true owners of İzmir. For four days, we have not allowed the trash here to be collected due to the strike. They want to portray us as ‘enemies of İzmir.’”

DAY 5 OF THE STRIKE: THEY WILL MARCH TO CUMHURİYET SQUARE

The striking workers will gather in front of Konak Pier at 10:00 AM to continue their protests. The workers will march from there to Cumhuriyet Square. The union has called on workers to wear white t-shirts.

WHAT IS THE UNION'S DEMAND?

The current proposal on the negotiating table from Genel-İş for the daily base wage, which was 763.44 TL on January 1, 2024, is 2,168.18 TL.

They are demanding an average monthly net wage of 82,000 TL for the lowest tier and 94,000 TL for the highest tier.

The initial offer from the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality was at the level of 59,000 TL for the lowest monthly wage and 76,000 TL for the highest.

News Source : 12punto