Tuzla Shipyard Workers Announce Strike

In the last seven months, 18 workers have died on Tuzla shipyards. The Limter Is trade union has announced a strike from Wednesday, 27 February.

Emine Özcan

The Limter Is trade union for shipyard workers has announced that it will go on strike as of Wednesday, 27 February.

Not accidents but "work murders"

In a statement, it said:

“Neither our jobs nor our lives are safe. In seven months, 18 workers have been killed in work murders. They say they will find a solution, but they do not. Laws are allowing the chaos, the subcontracting, the flexible employment, the exploitation and the employment of unregistered workers.”

“Either these laws will be changed: the subcontracting system will be abolished, bosses who employ workers without paying their social security contributions and without taking measures for a safe working environment will be punished, or the deaths will continue,” said Limter Is.

Fair working hours, full payment of social security contributions...

The trade union has called on workers to unite and go on strike. It has listed the following demands:

Shipyards should be regulated by the Rules for Heavy and Dangerous Employment Sectors.
Workers should work no more than 7.5 hours a day, and this needs to be implemented urgently.
The main employer must pay full social security contributions for workers.
The payment of wages must be guaranteed by the main employer.
There needs to be hygienic housing for workers, as well as changing rooms and food which is adequate for the physical work the workers do.
Social rights, including tea breaks at 10 am and 3pm, need to be respected.
All shipyards must allow the possibility for workers to organise representatives.

The recent spate of deaths and public outrage at the deaths in the shipyards has brought MPs to the shipyards. In the last week, Deniz Baykal, chair of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), as well as Mehmet Sevigen and Cetin Soysal from the same party, Zeki Seker, chair of the Democratic Left Party (DSP), and Akin Birdal and Sabahat Tuncel from the Democratic Society Party (DTP) visited the shipyards.

On Monday (24 February), the Tuzla Shipyards Regional Monitoring committee, which was formed on instigation of Limter Is and includes academics, will join MPs in an inspection of the Desan shipyard, where there have also been deaths. (EZÖ/TK/AG)