Police beat, detain İzmir greenhouse workers protesting for reinstatement

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Dozens of workers from a greenhouse company were detained on Friday as they protested against their dismissal from work after unionizing.

Most of these agricultural laborers, a majority of whom were women, were demanding their severance pay, unpaid wages, or reinstatement to their jobs.

These workers had been staging a protest outside the greenhouse of the Agrobay company in the Bergama district for 17 days.

The company had terminated the workers citing "gross misconduct." However, the workers argue that the real reason for their dismissal was their membership in the Agricultural Workers Union (Tarım-Sen), and the employer was trying to avoid paying compensation by citing such a reason for the dismissals.

During Friday's sit-in protest, the police and gendarmerie first warned the workers to disperse from in front of the greenhouse's gate. Despite the warning, 39 workers continued their protest and were subsequently detained. Among those arrested were Tarım-Sen Chair Umut Kocagöz and executive Ünal Taymak.

Supporting these workers, some of their children and grandchildren had also joined them at the protest site.

During the security forces' intervention, some workers fainted, and the Agro company's doctor refrained from providing assistance. Medical aid was eventually provided to the women with a delay of 20 minutes by an emergency service ambulance.

Prior to the protest, Tarım-Sen had called on the company to engage in a "respectable compromise" with the workers. "The Agrobay management must stop targeting our union and workers and immediately pay the legally owed compensation and all outstanding dues, as well as rearrange the dismissal codes so [the workers] can get unemployment salaries.

"We are open to dialogue with the Agrobay management for the resolution of the workers' demands. Otherwise, our union will vigorously employ all available and legitimate means against any approach that seeks to denigrate our workers and infringe upon their rights." (AEK/VK)