Fired after protesting for better wages, Migros workers detained in front of boss's house

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Dismissed warehouse workers of Migros, one of the largest grocery chains in Turkey, staged a protest today (February 18) in front of the house of the company's owner in Beykoz, İstanbul.

Faced with a police blockade, the workers read out a statement, saying, "We only want a wage raise of 4 lira per hour and our job back."

Migros fired 257 workers at its warehouse in Esenyurt because of their demands. The workers are members of the Union of Warehouse, Port, Shipyard and Marine Workers (DGD-Sen).

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Addressing Tuncay Özilhan, the chair of the Anadolu Grup Holding, which owns Migros, DGD-Sen Chair Neslihan Acar said, "The workers you fired in 2013 established this union. We had told you that we wouldn't give up. We will claim our rights."

"They imposed bans. They said, 'DGD-Sen cannot stage a protest in front of Özilhan's house.' We came here six times and were detained six times. The reason we came here was to find someone to address, to solve the problem.

"Workers at the Esenyurt warehouse worked risking their lives during the pandemic. Promises were made to these workers ... We warned them two months ago to solve the problems ... They made promises again. They did not take us seriously."

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Addressing the public, she remarked, "We are threatened with detention in front of Tuncay Özilhan's house. Be our voice."

Speaking after Acar, a worker said, "We fought [the company] for two months for a coat. We said, 'We can't work with these clothes in this cold weather.' If I make Migros earn millions, they have to pay me 4 lira, the price of a loaf of bread."

The police surrounded the workers and tried to disperse the crowd. Resisting the officers, the workers, including the union chair and branch chairs, were detained.

Tuncay Özilhan’ın polisleri tarafından darp edilerek, ters kelepçe yapılarak gözaltına alındık.

Herkesi Migros depo işçileriyle kol kola girmeye, isyanımızı Migros mağazalarına taşımaya çağırıyoruz. Biz vazgeçmeyeceğiz!
Video: @zeynokuray #MigrosHepimizeDüşman pic.twitter.com/GkV1hivd48

— DGD-SEN (@DGDSEN) February 18, 2022

(TP/VK)