State Railway Authority Suspended 46 Workers after Strike

After workers of the State Railways Authority (TCDD) went on strike for their right to strike and to collective bargaining, 16 railway workers were suspended from work. Their colleagues reacted to the suspensions by continuing the strike and putting railway services out of service. As a result, TCDD suspended another 30 workers from work on 17 December.

The United Transport Union (BTS) declared that 30 engine drivers, conductors and train managers that joined the demonstration on the previous day were temporarily suspended from work. BTS President Yunus Akıl announced, "We will continue our legitimate struggle, even if it is not 46 but 1046 of our colleagues that are suspended. Our colleagues were suspended in an unfair and unlawful way and they should be returned to work as soon as possible. In case this will not be done, the TCDD administration should think about what is going to follow", Akıl argued.

On 25 November, Confederation of Trade Unions of Public Employees (KESK) and the Public Workers Unions Confederation of Turkey (Kamu-Sen) had gone on strike. The strike affected the railways in particular, trains did not run. Claiming that a strike is illegal, the government threatened the workers with applying sanctions. In the strike on Wednesday (16 December) the police intervened against the participants at Haydarpaşa station on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. Several people were arrested, among them also union leaders, and released later on.

At the same time, TCDD General Manager Süleyman Karaman announced to open a trial for compensation to be claimed from the striking workers because extra cost arose when the passengers had to be transferred to buses due to the strike.

Karaman added that legal action will be taken related to the suspended workers and that they applied to the prosecutor's office about several workers on allegations of "inhibiting duty". (EÜ)