Following the "armed attack" on a union leader at its factory in İzmir, Swedish fashion and clothing retail chain H&M terminated its business relationship with its supplier in Turkey.
Armed attack on union president by factory owner's brother
H&M's supplier in Turkey, Akar Tekstil, had filed for concordat and began moving production tools and machinery out of the factory, avoiding the obligation to pay workers' wages and social benefits. Upon learning that the workers had gathered at the union to assess the situation, the factory owner, Hayrettin Akar, summoned Deriteks General President Makum Alagöz to the factory under the pretext of a meeting. Makum Alagöz was then shot in the leg by Onur Akar, brother of Hayrettin Akar.
Global labor rights advocate Fair Labor Association (FLA), expressing "deep sorrow" over the attack news, announced that they stand in solidarity with the assaulted union activist Alagöz and Deriteks, conveying their "get well soon" wishes. FLA also announced that H&M terminated its supplier relationship with Akar Tekstil.
H&M world's second-largest clothing retailer
The international retail clothing company, known by its short name H&M or "Hennes & Mauritz AB," is headquartered in Stockholm. Operating in the ready-to-wear sector, the company produces clothing items for men, women, teenagers, and children. As of 2019, it employs 126,000 people in 5,000 stores across 74 countries. Following Inditex based in Spain, H&M is the world's second-largest clothing store chain.
Akar Tekstil supplier of many leading brands
According to the news from Patronlar Dünyası, Akar Tekstil's supply lists included not only the H&M Group but also leading brands such as C&A, George by Asda, Kiabi, and Mango. Asda announced that it has lost its relevance to the list and is no longer included, while C&A and Kiabi did not provide comments. Mango refused to make a statement. Inditex brands Bershka, Pull&Bear, and Zara are also listed on Akar Tekstil's website, but it could not be confirmed whether the latter is a buyer from Akar Tekstil.
Condemnation from FLA and global unions
FLA and global unions condemned the armed attack. FLA reminded that Deriteks Union has the collective bargaining authority in the factory in question, and negotiations were ongoing at the time of the attack for the owners' bankruptcy application and the payment of severance pay to workers through the union.
Deriteks stated in a press release yesterday in Izmir, "We will pursue the process until those who carried out this armed treacherous attack against our union, represented by our President, receive the punishment they deserve. This attack on the working class and the self-organization of workers by unions has only fueled our anger." (AEK/PE)
