Mehmet Türkmen: A union leader behind bars after years of struggle

Workers in Gaziantep’s Başpınar Organized Industrial Zone have been resisting against a 30% wage increase imposed by employers, demanding a salary that allows them to live with dignity.

Mehmet Türkmen, the chair of the United Textile, Weaving, and Leather Workers’ Union (BİRTEK-SEN), who has been leading the resistance, was detained twice last month. His was eventually remanded in custody on Feb 17 on charges of "inciting to commit a crime" and "violating work and labor laws." 

A textile worker at nine years old

Mehmet Türkmen was born in 1978 in Antep. At just nine years old, he began working as an apprentice in carpet workshops in Ünaldı Industrial Zone. He worked as a laborer for 15 years.

As a young worker, he became involved in the union movement and participated in the 1996 Ünaldı Resistance, one of the largest labor protests in the region.

For the past 25 years, he has played an active role in numerous major strikes, resistance movements, and unionization efforts in Antep and neighboring provinces. Throughout these years, he has been detained, arrested, tried, threatened, and even dismissed from the union he represented.

Dismissed by union

While working in textile factories in Antep, Türkmen joined the Labor Party (EMEP) in 2000.

Between 2010 and 2013, he worked as an organizing specialist for two major unions: DİSK Textile Workers’ Union and later the Petrol-İş Union’s Antep branch.

In Sep 2019, Türkmen was appointed regional representative of DİSK Textile Workers' Union. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he spoke out against exploitation and labor rights violations. After he exposed how workers were being forced to work in factories despite the pandemic, a local newspaper targeted him, accusing him of provocation. Following the workers' protests, the factory mentioned in his social media posts was forced to halt production for 15 days.

On Apr 3, 2020, after an employer complaint, he was detained from his home at midnight on charges of "inciting hatred and hostility among the public." The prosecutor’s office released him without referring him to court.

His tenure as DİSK Textile Workers' Union representative lasted two years. In Nov 2021, the union dismissed him without informing him beforehand, later citing "incompatibility in work approach" as the reason.

Türkmen, however, revealed that his dismissal was a condition set by the Uğur textile company to sign a collective labor agreement. He criticized DİSK’s leadership, but the union remained silent.

In Dec 2021, Nesin Publishing House awarded Türkmen the "Aziz Nesin Scandal Award" for this incident.

After Türkmen was expelled from DİSK, textile workers in the Başpınar Organized Industrial Zone established the United Textile, Weaving, and Leather Workers’ Union (BİRTEK-SEN) in 2022. At its first general assembly, they elected Türkmen as president. The union was officially founded on February 10, 2022.

Dozens of protests in two and a half years

Since its founding three years ago, BİRTEK-SEN has been at the forefront of textile workers' struggles. Throughout this period, Türkmen has faced intimidation, pressure, and threats.

On Jan 11, 2022, he was detained following a complaint from Uğur Textile management. On Feb 7, 2022, after visiting workers protesting at Şireci Textile, he was threatened by Murat Mutlu Aslan, who introduced himself as the nephew of Ahmet Şireci.

After the Feb 2023 earthquakes, Türkmen was summoned for questioning for allegedly "publicly spreading misleading information" when he stated that employers were forcing workers to continue working despite aftershocks in Defne.

On Aug 12, 2023, he supported Şireci textile company workers who attempted to march from Başpınar to the city center. Following a complaint by the company owner, Ahmet Şireci, he was detained but later released after giving his statement. He then filed a complaint against Ahmet Şireci for obstructing union activities and violating the constitutional right to assembly and protest. However, no legal action has been taken on his complaint in the past two and a half years.

Targeted by employers

In Nov 2023, 450 workers at Özak textile company in Urfa, a factory producing for international brands like Levi’s, Zara, and Hugo Boss, resigned from their union and joined BİRTEK-SEN.

On Nov 27, Özak workers staged a walkout to protest the dismissal of seven workers over their decision to switch unions. On the 10th and 15th days of the protest, gendarmerie forces intervened as workers attempted to march to the factory. On Dec 6, they detained 22 people, including Türkmen. On Dec 11, another 92 workers were taken into custody.

Türkmen was referred to court with a request for his arrest but was released under judicial control along with three union executives and four Özak workers.

Following the union struggle at Özak, the Labor and Social Security Ministry imposed a fine of 1,4 million Turkish liras on BİRTEK-SEN, claiming the union exerted "pressure on workers," charging the union 5,421 liras per worker.

Arrested without even being questioned

At the start of 2025, textile workers in the Başpınar Organized Industrial Zone in Antep launched a strike demanding better working conditions.

Once again, Türkmen and BİRTEK-SEN were at the forefront of the movement.

In response to the workers’ protests against low wage increases, the Gaziantep Governor’s Office issued a ban on demonstrations. Police conducted a midnight raid on the workers’ tents, removing them from the protest site.

As the resistance continued, Türkmen was detained on Feb 14 while leaving his home. He was held for seven hours before being released. When releasing him, law enforcement officials claimed that he hadn't been taken into custody officially.

Meanwhile, a rally planned by the workers in support of Türkmen was blocked by security forces.

The following day, on Feb 15, Gaziantep Police detained Türkmen again, this time inside the union building. Without even taking his statement, they sent him directly to the Criminal Judgeship of Peace, where he was formally arrested on charges of "violating the freedom to work" and "inciting to commit a crime." He was sent to prison.

When Gaziantep Bar Association President Bülent Duran and a group of lawyers tried to attend his hearing, they were denied entry. Later, an appeal against Türkmen’s detention was rejected.

In addiditon to rights and labor groups in Turkey, many international groups also issued statements of solidarity with Türkmen.

Emphasizing solidarity

Just days before his arrest, Türkmen spoke to bianet, stressing the importance of worker solidarity: "It’s impossible to win all demands in a single factory. Employers act in an incredibly organized manner. Workers need to unite under a common umbrella. The only way to achieve this is through union organization.

"As BİRTEK-SEN, we are not yet organized in most factories, but we are still working to help workers act together. The demands they have put forward can only be won if they stand together. We are struggling to cover basic needs like tents and food, which is why we repeat our call for solidarity." (ABY/HA/VK)