Koç University Worker Resistance Ends Up With Gains

After a week long struggle, Koç University's 161 laid off workers regained their existing working rights under the guarantee of a contract with a new firm. A series of negotiations between university administration and workers ended up with Koç University administration accepting 19 out of 22 demands by workers.

Started on April 2, the workers' struggle ended last night after university administrators declared that a guarantee arrangement has been reached with the new contractor firm on the hiring of 161 laid off workers. 

The aforementioned workers are expected to start signing new contracts with the new contractor firms - Eurest Services and Mavi Yaka.       

For this reason, the university administration set up tables on campus. It is said that laid off workers also received compensations from the previous contractor firm, ISS.

"We managed what administration claimed impossible"

In a statement released last night, striker workers claimed their victory.

"As a result of our gains, it won't be so easy to behave workers as such. They will always consider going into disciple from now on. No administration will find the courage to keep us in unheated basement in the cold days of winter," the statement said.

"At the end of our struggle, our demands for equal rights based contract have not been met. But we took a serious step forward towards that. Our struggle should be taken as example for what many consider to be impossible." (BK/BM)