Collective bargaining ends in a deadlock, municipal workers go on strike

* Photo: Zafer Arslan/ Anadolu Agency (AA)

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The Public Services Employees Union of Turkey (Genel-İş), under the umbrella of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), has decided to go on strike as the collective bargaining at İstanbul's Kadıköy, Ataşehir and Kartal Municipalities have ended in a deadlock.

Declaring their decision at all three municipalities, the workers of Kadıköy have first gone on strike as of midnight. The workers of Ataşehir and Kartal Municipalities will also follow suit in the upcoming days.

Speaking to bianet about the issue, Genel-İş İstanbul Anatolian Side No. 1 Branch Chair Ahmet Arıkan has indicated that the Kadıköy Municipality has 2,300 workers, Kartal Municipality nearly 2,000 workers and Ataşehir Municipality also nearly 2,000 workers. Taken together with the permanent staff, the economic demands of 7,500 people are not met, he has said.

Stressing their demand for working conditions and wages compatible with human dignity, Arıken has noted that after a process of collective bargaining that has been going on for seven months, they have now come to the final stage. While their administrative demands have been accepted by the municipalities, it is not the case for their demands as to the wages.

'A financial loss of 60 percent'

Our requests that we set in the light of workers' demands have not been met, Arıkan has said and briefly added the following:

"For instance, the Kadıköy Municipality... It is also the case in the other municipalities, anyway. We have reached an agreement on all administrative demands. But the wages are not at the desired level.

"Our fellow workers who used to work for subcontractors, but have started working at municipal companies have suffered a financial loss of 50-60 percent as they cannot get the minimum wage differential.

"If they had not started working for municipal companies and remained at the subcontractors, their wages would be 60 percent higher than what they get today. But most of them are now getting a wage of around the level of minimum wage. We demanded that this right violation stemming from this difference be eliminated. But it was not taken into account.

"The municipalities argued that it was a huge cost. They said that their budget could not suffice. But they are the largest district municipalities of Turkey. That being the case, workers' own reality is completely different. Workers cannot make a living anymore.

"These workers used to work for certain percentages of the minimum wage in municipalities. After the minimum wage rise, the percentage and inflation differential has not been applied to their wages. Their purchasing power and wages have diminished for this reason.

'Wages remain at the level of minimum wage'

"Several fellow workers have been doing the most intense jobs, they are working in the fields and external units. Cleaning, technical works, parks and gardens, municipal police, security, drivers, medical teams... Their wages have remained at the level of minimum wage. The pay rise that we want is a level of subsistence compatible with human dignity.

"It is also the case for both Kartal and Ataşehir. 2,300 workers work in Kadıköy and nearly 2,000 workers work in Kartal and Ataşehir each.

"The transportation and food allowances are portrayed as a right on the part of workers, but they have only 2,900-3,000 lira left in their pocket when these allowances are not included in the count. Workers cannot bring these allowances home anyway. They spend them for work.

"We have been negotiating at the table for months. Our demands are certain. Workers try to stand on their feet by borrowing money. The wages of our several friends have remained even below the minimum wage. If no realistic offer is made about our economic demands and no agreement is reached in Kadıköy by midnight, we will go on strike.

"We will do the same if it is not the case in Ataşehir by March 2 and in Kartal by March 5." (HA/SD)