Union: 153 Dardanel workers infected with coronavirus, 56 hospitalized

Photo: Çanakkale Kalem newspaper

Click to read the article in Turkish

The "closed-circuit working system" continues at Dardanel canned tuna fish company in the northwestern province of Çanakkale.

More than 1,000 workers of the factory, including those who are infected with Covid-19, work during the day and are held at quarantine dormitories at night, according to an order by Çanakkale Governor's Office, the Provincial Public Hygiene Council and Çanakkale Municipality.

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"Infected workers still work"

The chair of the Gıda-İş union, which is affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), Seyit Aslan, told bianet that 56 of the factory's workers were receiving treatment for Covid-19 and at the hospital and a total of 153 workers were diagnosed with the disease as of August 2, citing healthcare workers at the Provincial Health Council.

"It was said that workers apart from those who were treated at the hospital didn't have severe symptoms and therefore continued to work," he said, adding that the Governor's Office, the Public Hygiene Committee and the municipality have not denied the figures regarding ill workers.

"We are making every effort for this working system to be abandoned but there are the Provincial Health Directorate, the municipality, the Governor's Office and doctors from various fields who have signed this decision, they have yet to make a statement.

"All of these institutions who have signed this decision stand behind it, they have not given up.

"There is a tangible, wrong situation. When we spoke with the municipality, they were self-critical and had a stance that they would withdraw their sign, but they have not withdrawn their sign yet."

Infected workers are not separated from others

"Men and women stay in different dormitories. It is said that 'Everyone has a private room. They get out of the factory and stay in their private rooms, get out of the room and go to the factory.'

"There is no separation between those who are infected and those who are not. So, other workers who are not infected are also at risk."

"They are blaming workers"

Also mentioning the reports that hundreds of workers at the Vestel electronics company's factory in the western Manisa province have been diagnosed with Covid-19, Aslan said, "Yesterday, Manisa Organized Industrial Zone Chair Sait Türek said, 'Workers bring Covid-19 to factories. They are directly blaming the workers now."

"Türek then makes a suggestion, referring to the closed-circuit working system, and says, 'If only we could keep 45,000 workers at someplace when they get out of the factory and then they would come back to work the next day.'

"They aim to isolate workers between the work and the place they stay. They aim to separate them from their families. This is the last point. The unions in Turkey should say something about this. This is not something to swallow. This is a serious attack. A joint struggle is needed." (RT/VK)