Having lost their jobs in the wake of Tekel’s privatization, 8,247 workers started a protest against the government, which entered its 76th straight day in Ankara yesterday. Workers demand that they be transferred to other public offices with their rights intact, while the government is offering an 11-month temporary employment option elsewhere, otherwise known as 4/C.
The government had granted Tekel workers until March 2 to accept 4/C. Having failed to reach a compromise with the government, labor confederations recently brought the issue to the Council of State, demanding that the time limit set by the government be cancelled. Following the court’s ruling, Tekel workers now have more time before they must make their final decision.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had earlier signaled workers would be forced to conclude their protest unless they end the protest by March 2. Erdoğan said on Sunday in Ankara that the government is determined to end the protest as promised, underlining that they can no longer accept the “misuse of the Tekel issue.” Recalling that some 3,200 workers have accepted 4/C so far, the prime minister called on workers to avail themselves of this opportunity on the final day.
While the option of removing workers -- who took over one of Ankara’s busiest streets, Sakarya Avenue -- by police force is on the table, Mustafa Türkel, president of the Union of Tobacco, Alcoholic Beverage, Food and Related Industry Workers (TekGıda-İş), said as early as Sunday that they are committed to continuing the protest regardless of any such attempt. “If they force us out of here, we will move to another street and set up new tents there,” he said. Observers argue most workers would follow police instructions and return to their homes, while some remaining small groups would opt to resist intervention by the police force.
