Around 150 employees of the Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group in Turkey launched a strike today over disputes concerning wages and working conditions.
Workers gathered in front of the Swatch store at Özdilek Shopping Center in İstanbul’s Beşiktaş district to mark the beginning of the action, Evrensel reported. In their statement to the press, the workers said, “Despite all our goodwill, we were unable to reach an agreement with the employer. We are on strike to fight for our labor, our sweat, and our rightful due.”
The Cooperative Workers’ Union (Koop-İş), which represents the employees, announced the strike decision on Oct 20 after failing to reach an agreement in collective bargaining negotiations. The union said the strike would begin at 16 Swatch stores across the country.
The workers are demanding a 30 percent raise, a 3 percent welfare share, and improvements to social benefits. The company, however, proposed a 25 percent wage increase for store employees and a raise of between 5 and 15 percent for office staff, according to the union.
In addition to low raises, the union also criticized the employer for offering different terms to store and office workers and said it rejected this unequal treatment.
The union further accused the company of delaying tactics by filing legal objections over union authorization and preventing timely negotiations. (VK)
