Eskişehir thermal plant workers to march to Ankara demanding unpaid wages
Workers at a thermal power plant in Eskişehir province in central Turkey have decided to march to Ankara in protest of unpaid wages and poor working conditions.
Workers at the Yunus Emre Thermal Power Plant have not received their salaries for three months, the DİSK Energy Workers’ Union (Enerji-Sen) said in a statement.
The workers would begin marching this evening toward the Ankara headquarters of Yıldızlar SSS Holding, the owners of the plant.
The action is the second labor dispute the holding has faced in recent months. Workers at the holding’s Eskişehir-based Doruk Mining company staged protests in April and May, including a march to Ankara and a hunger strike. The action ended after ministries intervened as mediators and the sides reached an agreement.
The strike resumed after the company paid some of the agreed amounts incompletely. The company paid all outstanding claims in June.
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Unpaid leaves and poor working conditions
More than 350 workers demanding improved working conditions recently joined Enerji-Sen, after which the union officially gained the authority to conduct collective bargaining, according to a statement from the union.
Enerji-Sen called for the payment of workers’ outstanding wages and the start of collective bargaining talks. The workers haven't been paid for the last three months and this was not the first time the payments are delayed, said the union.
The company also forced workers to take unpaid leave in June, according to the union. Management later reduced the leave period to 10 days after workers objected.
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‘Workers have to bring their own masks’
Workers have also complained about inadequate occupational health and safety measures and poor working conditions.
The union said workers receive one set of work clothes during the winter but receive none during the summer. They also have to buy their own work gloves.
Masks provided at the plant are insufficient in number and do not meet required standards, accoding to the union. “As a result, workers also have to bring their own masks,” it said.
There is no ambulance at the plant, raising serious concerns about whether injured or ill workers could reach a hospital during an emergency.
Workers travel 60 kilometers each day to reach the plant. Vehicles older than three years should not be used for the journey, but the company’s shuttle buses are poorly maintained and between 10 and 12 years old. (VC/VK)