Speaking to reporters following his party’s group meeting in Parliament yesterday, the prime minister said he would make an appointment with Kumlu but had no plans to meet with the other labor unions to this end.
Erdoğan met with Kumlu recently; however, the meeting failed to solve the impasse and was followed by a one-day strike throughout the country. Workers dismissed from Turkey’s alcohol and tobacco monopoly, Tekel, started a protest in Ankara in the wake of the monopoly’s privatization, demanding that the government transfer them to other public institutions with their personal employee rights preserved. The government, in response, offered workers the choice of either resigning to receive severance pay or switching to a temporary employment program under Article 4/C.
On the 57th straight day of their protest, Tekel workers held a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security in Ankara on Tuesday. Gathering at the Ankara Intercity Bus Terminal (AŞTİ) earlier in the day, workers marched to the Ministry of Labor. Releasing a press statement during the demonstration, the Union of Tobacco, Alcoholic Beverage, Food and Related Industry Workers (TekGıda-İş) Secretary-General Mecit Amaç criticized the minister of labor for remaining indifferent to the Tekel workers’ dispute. “These workers have been continuing their protest for almost two months here and the minister of labor has not taken the pains to even listen to them. We think the minister has to maintain impartiality regarding this issue and work to protect the workers’ rights.”
Amaç underlined that the workers were ready to give up some of their personal rights should the government transfer them to other public institutions. Since the beginning of the protest, Tekel workers and unions demanded that the government find them positions at other public institutions while preserving their personal employee rights, including severance pay and annual leave. “If they promise to hire these people permanently in other public institutions then we are ready to stop the protest and return to our homes.” He said they would hold another demonstration in front of the Finance Ministry unless the government meets the workers’ demands by Thursday.
