Migros admits dismissing resisting workers

"I don't go to Migros"

Click to read the article in Turkish

Migros has released a statement about the workers protesting the 8-percent wage increase and admitted 257 workers have been dismissed. It has said: "Our door is open to our colleagues who find these working conditions suitable and who respect their workplace responsibilities."

"Should an additional 4 TRY per hour be added, the income increase including the premium corresponds to 80 percent, which unfortunately has no economic rationale," the company has argued.

The full statement of the company is as follows:

'Our door is open to those who find it suitable'

"As Migros, we are all in the fields, farms, technology centers, stores, distribution centers...

"As Migros, we are all part of a large team that includes 55 thousand employees, manufacturers and suppliers who work in the fields, farms, technology centers, stores, distribution centers. And the main objective of this team is to provide the best service to our customers on time in 81 provinces.

"Moreover, Migros is a pioneer in the retail sector in observing workers' rights with its unionized workforce for the last 50 years. Our Distribution Centers, on the other hand, have been operated by various business partners for 20 years due to the expertise involved. Our main principle of pioneering workers' rights, is also the basic stance of these employers.

"Our distribution centers undertake the essential social task of meeting the people's demand for basic food and necessities with uninterrupted shipment. Yet, some employees at the European Distribution Center have unfortunately interrupted the supply chain in the West Marmara region using misleading information and manipulation.

"The relevant distribution center employer, Us Group, increased the income of the employees by an average of 54 percent including bonuses. In the first week of February, the increased income payments were made to their accounts.

"We would like it to be known for the sake of transparency that the average hourly wage has been increased by 6.6 TRY and hourly income including premium has been increased by 9.7 TRY by Us Group. Should an additional 4 TRY per hour be added, the income increase including the premium corresponds to 80 percent, which unfortunately has no economic rationale.

"Some who did not find this increase sufficient and did not want to work, unfortunately stopped their colleagues who wanted to continue working and prevented their right to work. They continued their actions despite all transparent communication, close dialogue, reminders, two warnings and repeated efforts to tell the truth verbally.

"The Us Group had to part ways, even if it was the last thing desired, with the protestors, who caused many days of disruption to the operations of the European Distribution Center and breaking the food supply chain. These developments have saddened us all.

"As Migros, of course, we understand protestors' financial difficulties. Our principle is to create an equal, fair and equitable working environment. In the Distribution Center, Us Group has created a salary increase with the maximum possible raise by making maximum efforts and forcing all economic conditions. We would like to assert that our door is open to our colleagues who find these working conditions suitable and who respect their workplace responsibilities."

List of workers' needs

In a post shared on its social media account, the Warehouse, Port, Dock and Maritime Workers Union (DGD-SEN) has called for fostering solidarity and supporting workers. Still resisting in front of the warehouse in İstanbul's Esenyurt, workers' list of needs is as follows:

• 50-100 stools
• Shuttle for transportation
• Fuel for the vehicle meeting the needs of the protest site
• Daily drinking water
• Food (For at least two days, for 250 people)
• Raincoats (For 150 people)
• Powerbank

What happened?

Protesting in the face of an 8-percent pay rise, 257 workers of the Migros Depo, the warehouse of Turkey's one of the largest supermarket chains, have been dismissed. The dismissed workers are also the members of the Warehouse, Port, Dock and Maritime Workers Union (DGD-SEN).

Sharing the news with a message on its social media account on February 9, 2022, the DGD-SEN briefly said, "Today, our fellow workers who were shown to be on administrative leave and were inside the warehouse have been dismissed because of solidarizing with our fellow dismissed workers at the door. Migros has dismissed our 257 fellow workers."

Halting work in protest, the workers of the Migros Depo were waiting inside the warehouse in İstanbul's Esenyurt as part of their strike action the other night when the police stormed the warehouse and detained three executives of the DGD-SEN and over 150 workers. The detained people were released from the Kıraç Police Station later in the day.

Workers' requests

Workers of Migros demand that their net hourly wages be increased by 4 TRY, the payment of premiums be legally guaranteed and the necessary measures be taken for labor health and safety.

Who owns Migros?

One of the largest supermarket chains of Turkey, Migros Inc. belongs to the Anadolu Group. With Tuncay Özilhan as the Head of the Executive Board, Migros' firm value increased by over 75 percent in2020.

Of the companies of the group open to the public, Adel Kalemcilik (ADEL), Anadolu Efes (AEFES), Anadolu Isuzu (ASUZU), Coca-Cola İçecek (CCOLA), Migros (MGROS) and Yazıcılar Holding (YAZIC) shares are traded at Borsa İstanbul (İstanbul Stock Exchange).

Anadolu Group has the following companies:

Migros Inc.
Macro Center
Anadolu Efes (Efes Pilsen, Bomonti)
Ramstore
CCI (Coca Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Cappy, Burn, Fuse Tea) - (Sale distribution)
Anadolu Motor, Çelik Motor
AND Gayrimenkul
Efestur

(TP/SD)