President Erdoğan suspends strikes of metal workers due to 'national security'

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has postponed strikes in two factories of a steel manufacturer for 60 days.

The decision published in the Official Gazette today (December 13) was taken because the strikes were "of nature disruptive to national security" as per article 63 of Law No. 6356 on Unions and Collective Bargaining Agreements.

According to the article, workers cannot resume strikes after 60 days. If the parties fail to reach an agreement within that period, the Supreme Arbitration Board finalizes the agreement. If this is not done either, the union loses its collective bargaining power.

Workers of two factories of the Bekaert firm in Kocaeli, northwestern Türkiye, were going to launch the strike today.

Releasing a statement following the decision, the Birleşik Metal İş union said, "The president again made his choice in favor of the capital. The workers will not recognize this unlawful ban on the strike and will start their legal strike at 13.00, exercising the right granted by the Constitution and international laws."

Postponed strikes in the AKP era

Since Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, the government has postponed 19 strikes for various reasons, including protecting national security, public health, financial stability and public transportation:

• 2003 Petlas A.Ş. 350 workers
• 2003 Şişecam 5.000 workers
• 2004 Şişecam 5000 workers
• 2004 Pirelli, Good Year, Brisa 5.000 workers
• 2005 Erdemir Madencilik AŞ 400 workers
• 2014 Şişecam 5.800 workers
• 2014 Çayırhan ve Çöllolar Kömür İşletmesi 1.500 workers
• 2015 MESS Grup TIS 15.000 workers
• 2017 (OHAL) Asil Çelik 600 workers
• 2017 (OHAL) EMIS Grup TIS kapsamı 2.200
• 2017 (OHAL) Akbank 14.000 workers
• 2017 (OHAL) Şişecam 6.500 workers
• 2017 (OHAL) Mefar İlaç 500 workers
• 2018 (OHAL) MESS Grup TIS 130.000 bin workers
• 2018 (OHAL) Soda Kromsan-Şişecam 890 workers
• 2019 İzban 342 workers
• 2020 Soda Sanayii AŞ 557 workers
• 2022 Bekaert Çelik Kord Sanayi 400 workers
• 2022 Bekaert Çelik Kord Sanayi 560 workers

(HA/VK)