The Tekel workers, who ended their three-day sit-in in front of Türk-İş on Monday, started their hunger strike yesterday, supporting themselves with vitamin B supplements and sugar water. How long the workers can last in Ankara’s harsh weather is uncertain, as medical staff struggled to maintain the ailing workers’ health even before the hunger strike began.
The three-day sit-in resulted in 1,500 workers falling ill and 45 being taken to the emergency room with complaints of asthma attacks and possible heart problems.
Deniz Türkyılmaz of the Turkish Medical Association stated that doctors would stand by the workers in case of medical emergencies stemming from a lack of food. Türkyılmaz also added that they are suggesting that protestors stay indoors out of the cold weather. This would be unlikely to help the visibility of their cause, however.
Workers starting the hunger strike were already tense, as protestors chanted slogans huddled under blankets. The hunger strike follows a protest against Türk-İş itself during the sit-in, as workers unsatisfied with the leadership of the organization’s president, Mustafa Kumlu, called for him to step down from his post.
The government’s privatization of several of the monopoly’s factories left nearly 10,000 workers without positions, leading to a protest against the government by Tekel workers from across the country. The employees started the protest in Ankara on Dec. 15, demanding that the government find positions for them with other state institutions or enterprises.
