Police Attacks Dockyard Union Workers

At least six people were seriously injured when police attacked dockyard workers attempting to hold press conference demanding delayed wages. 16 others including executives of LIMTER-IS union are under custody.

Tolga Korkut

At least six people were seriously injured at an Istanbul dockyard when police attacked a group of union member workers attempting to read a press statement in protest of a three month delay in their wages.

The Port, Dockyard, Shipbuilding-Repairs Workers Union (LIMTER-IS) members and union executives were on the eight day of an active 'resistance' protesting a three month delay in the salaries of 55 dockyard workers.

LIMTER-IS chairman Cem Dinc told Bianet that they had scheduled to hold a press conference at 7 am and gathered on site. "But even before the press statement was read out, the police attacked us for no reason" he said.

Dinc added, "they also then attacked the workers taking position in front of the dock yard. There are six seriously injured. Three of our friends are having brain tomography done. They pulled on our friends to a secluded place and beat him up. When I saw him, his head and eyes were all bruised".

Following the incident the police placed 16 people including union executives under custody.

DISK to file criminal complaint

Turkey's Revolutionary Worker Unions Confederation (DISK) to which LIMTER-IS belongs is now preparing to file a criminal complaint related to the unwarranted attack.

DISK Secretary General Musa Cam told Bianet that approximately 30,000 workers at the Tuzla dockyard were working under very poor conditions without any social security and as part of an unregistered economy.

"The workers have no kind of organisation while the employers are extremely organised. They are taking every measure to prevent unions from entering the workplace. They have a special solidarity with security forces. We observe that from time to time the security forces use excessive force" Cam explained.

The DISK executive recalled that dockyard workers member to a union had been attacked by the police previously too and that in the incident before, 3 workers were injured in the morning when attempting to read a press statement while 30 others were detained in the afternoon following a subsequent police attack.

The dockyard workers had held a press conference at Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park on May 30 where they said they would continue their resistance until they were granted their rights. (TK/EO/II/YE)

Tolga Korkut