50 Thousand Workers Forced to Relocate

With the enforcement of Article 166 of the "Sack Law" on 1 August, 50,000 municipality workers can be sent to work in rural areas. While the trade unions prepare meetings with representatives of political parties, workers in many parts of Turkey organize protest actions against the application.

The so called "Sack Law" was enforced on 25 February 2011. The controversial law comprises a package of revisions, among them also Article 166 as an amendment of the Turkish Labour Law. About 50,000 municipality workers are directly affected by the new law since they might be forced to work for rural police stations subordinated to the Ministry of the Interior or for schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education.

This law means "exiling" the workers, said Kani Beko, Secretary General of the Turkish Trade Union for General Service Workers (Genel İş). Genel İş is part of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK).

"Being made redundant if they don't move within five days"

Beko explained that the places the workers will be sent to are going to be fixed within the coming month by a commission of the ministries and the unions. However, Genel İş decided to boycott the commission, Beko indicated.

"Once the lists are prepared, the workers have to start working at the place they have been appointed to within five days. If they do not go, their labour contract will be terminated. The workers have families with two or three children. There contracts will be terminated since they are not able to work at a remote spot. 50,000 people will join the army of the unemployed", Beko warned.

"No unions in remote places"

Beko pointed out that the rural places the workers will be sent to lack organized unions. Thus, it will be impossible to implement the Collective Agreement Act (TİS).

"The workers are all members of unions like Genel-İş, Belediye-İş [Municipality] or Hizmet-İş [Service]. However, there are no union organizations at the places they will go to. Hence, we are talking about the risk of losing the rights recognized by TİS".

Beko noted that they have voiced their demands in numerous meetings with faction leaders of the political parties. He said that the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) applied to the Constitutional Court for the lifting of 17 articles of the "Sack Law", among them also Article 166.

"Our life will be over if we have to relocate again"

A worker at the Municipality of Kocaeli (west of Istanbul) experienced being relocated in 2005 upon the closure of the SEKA factory. He said he would not be able to go through a second resettlement.

"In the beginning they told us not to worry and appeased the workers with saying that only the 'surplus' staff would be sent. But now people talk about sending workers who are out-of-favour because of their political opinion. However, we have no chance not to go to place we will be sent to. Otherwise, the labour contract will be terminated without severance payment. How can a person who worked for 20 years abandon his right to a senior severance payment? Our family will be torn. Things just started to fall into place for us here. If we go to a new place, our life will be over before we will be able to adapt", the worker deplored.

Workers in Istanbul, Adana, Ankara, Izmir and Gaziantep organized protest actions on Tuesday (28 June) and called on the parliament to amend the law. (NV/ŞA/VK)