Ten Thousand Metal Industry Workers to Begin Strike

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Around 10 thousand metal industry workers from 41 factories in 11 provinces will begin a strike on February 5, the United Metal Workers' Union (Birleşik Metal-İş) has announced.

The decision came after a negotiation meeting on Tuesday night (January 28) with the Turkish Employers'​ Association of Metal Industries (MESS) as the Birleşik Metal-İş stated it did not accept an offer of 17 percent salary increase, which it called an "imposition of a misery salary."

On the other hand, the Turkish Metal Trade Union (Türk Metal), the largest union of metal industry workers with 110 thousand members, has accepted the offer of the employers union.

Workers unions previously announced they would go on strike and the MESS, in response, stated that it would declare a lockout.

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The Birleşik Metal-İş said in a written statement that its Central Collective Labor Agreement Commission held a meeting yesterday to evaluate the offer of the MESS.

As the commission advised the rejection of the offer, the union's General Management Board decided to "intensify the efforts to carry out the strike," the statement further said.

The decision was taken with a 20-17 vote as 17 factory representatives voted for the acceptance of the offer, while 20 representatives voted for a strike, daily Evrensel reported.

"The metalworkers will make history once again on February 5," the union stated. "Today, we are more powerful and determined than ever." (EKN/VK)