ECONOMY - Bianet

ECONOMY

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Unions, Professional Organizations Request 'Urgent Measures' During Pandemic

Unions, Professional Organizations Request 'Urgent Measures' During Pandemic

The organizations have launched a petition requesting seven measures to be implemented to protect health workers and disadvantaged groups.

There are 720 Thousand Child Workers in Turkey

There are 720 Thousand Child Workers in Turkey

The TurkStat has shared “Working Child Statistics” after seven years. The data shared by the institute have shown that there are 720 thousand child workers in the 5-17 age group in Turkey, 4.4 percent of whom are between the ages of 5 and 11.

Metal Workers' Association: Factories Don't Implement Health Measures

Metal Workers' Association: Factories Don't Implement Health Measures

There are many Covid-19 patients among workers as health measures "cannot actually be followed in production," the association says.

Briefly Detained for ‘Stay Home’ Video, Truck Driver Yılmaz: I Think I Lose My Job, Too

Briefly Detained for ‘Stay Home’ Video, Truck Driver Yılmaz: I Think I Lose My Job, Too

Briefly detained after sharing a video of himself criticizing the “stay home” calls amid COVID-19 outbreak, long-haul truck driver Yılmaz says, “I think I have been dismissed, too. Today, I called my workplace. They said ‘We will call you’ and hung up.”

30 March 2020 Ayça Söylemez

Those Who Fit Their Lives into Home and Those Who Have to Fit Their Lives into Work

Those Who Fit Their Lives into Home and Those Who Have to Fit Their Lives into Work

The government has been running a campaign with the slogans, "Stay home" and "Life fits into home" to help prevent the coronavirus from further spreading in the country.

27 March 2020 Evrim Kepenek

Although Stores Closed due to Pandemic, Many Workers Continue Working in Risky Conditions

Although Stores Closed due to Pandemic, Many Workers Continue Working in Risky Conditions

Many factories carry on operations as firms that closed their shops continue online retailing, which leads many workers to work in risky environments, a union chair says.

25 March 2020 Hikmet Adal

Waste Pickers: We Cannot Make Ends Meet Only with Food Aid

Waste Pickers: We Cannot Make Ends Meet Only with Food Aid

Speaking to bianet in the wake of a ban on waste picking in Ankara amid Covid-19 outbreak, Street Waste Collectors’ Association Chair Kahraman says, “If we don’t work, workers of factories will also lose their jobs. We wait for help from the government.”

24 March 2020 Hikmet Adal

Unemployment Increases by Almost a Million in a Year: 4,469,000 People Unemployed

Unemployment Increases by Almost a Million in a Year: 4,469,000 People Unemployed

According to the labor force statistics shared by the TurkStat, unemployment has increased by 2.7 percentage points and hit 13.7 percent. The number of unemployed has increased by 932 thousand in a year, reaching 4 million 469 people in 2019.

Just as Little Economy as We Can Stay Alive

Just as Little Economy as We Can Stay Alive

In the upcoming days, we need to urgently discuss how we can bring “solidarity economies” into the present and how individuals, civilian initiatives and municipalities can form a joint structure within this context.

20 March 2020 Ayşe Gül Yılgör

Coronavirus Measures by Turkish Post Office: 'Open the Windows'

Coronavirus Measures by Turkish Post Office: 'Open the Windows'

A circular letter by the directorate says offices should be ventilated while a union representative says the employees are not provided with disinfectants and not allowed to take a leave of absence.

19 March 2020 Hikmet Adal

Healthcare Workers Clean Ambulances with Laundry Bleach, Reuse Disposable Equipment

Healthcare Workers Clean Ambulances with Laundry Bleach, Reuse Disposable Equipment

An emergency service worker, a doctor and a union chair have told bianet about under what conditions they work amid the coronavirus pandemic.

18 March 2020 Tansu Pişkin

‘Size of Unemployment Fund Can Overcome Covid-19 Crisis, But Planning is Necessary’

‘Size of Unemployment Fund Can Overcome Covid-19 Crisis, But Planning is Necessary’

Employment Expert Sinan Ok says that the current size of unemployment fund in Turkey is over 130 billion lira, which would suffice to subsidize the unemployment caused by coronavirus outbreak.

18 March 2020 Hikmet Adal

Central Bank Reduces Policy Interest Rate from 10.75 to 9.75 Percent

Central Bank Reduces Policy Interest Rate from 10.75 to 9.75 Percent

Central Bank has reduced the policy rate (one-week repo auction rate) from 10.75 to 9.75 percent: “The pandemic disease is closely monitored for its evolving global impact on capital flows, financial conditions, international trade and commodity prices."

‘Dismissals Should be Banned Throughout Coronavirus Outbreak’

‘Dismissals Should be Banned Throughout Coronavirus Outbreak’

The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) has released a written statement and offered a series of measures to be taken during coronavirus outbreak so that workers suffer the least harm in this period.

İstanbul Stock Exchange Changes Price Limits Against Extreme Volatility

İstanbul Stock Exchange Changes Price Limits Against Extreme Volatility

“Price change triggering circuit breaker” has been reduced from 7.5 and 10 percent to 5 percent in all groups. This change in price limits introduced by Borsa İstanbul aims to reduce the extreme volatility and to limit the losses of individual investors.

Covid-19: Companies Deduct Quarantine Period From Employees’ Annual Leave

Covid-19: Companies Deduct Quarantine Period From Employees’ Annual Leave

Some social media users have complained that they are forced to use their annual leave due to coronavirus outbreak. “Using the forced leave to lower the company’s costs is not compatible with human rights,” says Prof. Turgut Tarhanlı.

13 March 2020 Hikmet Adal

Youth Unemployment Rate Stood at 25 Percent in December

Youth Unemployment Rate Stood at 25 Percent in December

The TurkStat has released labor force statistics for December 2019.

Constitutional Court: Workers' Right to Life Violated in Soma Mine Explosion

Constitutional Court: Workers' Right to Life Violated in Soma Mine Explosion

The top court has concluded the application of the relatives of 11 workers who died in the 2014 explosion, which had claimed a total of 301 lives.

Artists Discharged from İstanbul City Theaters Back on The Job After Almost 4 Years

Artists Discharged from İstanbul City Theaters Back on The Job After Almost 4 Years

Discharged from İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s City Theaters 3 years, 7 months ago, artists including Levent Üzümcü have returned to their jobs.

Annual Inflation Still in Double-Digit Figures in February: 12.37 Percent

Annual Inflation Still in Double-Digit Figures in February: 12.37 Percent

The TurkStat has announced the consumer and producer prices indexes for February 2020. Accordingly, consumer inflation has increased by 12.37 percent in comparison with the same month last year.

Halkbank Agrees to Appear in US Court in Sanctions Case

Halkbank Agrees to Appear in US Court in Sanctions Case

With its appeal rejected, Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank has agreed to attend the hearings in the lawsuit filed for evading the US sanctions against Iran.

26 February 2020

Central Bank Reduces Interest Rates for the Sixth Time in a Row

Central Bank Reduces Interest Rates for the Sixth Time in a Row

Central Bank has reduced the policy rate (one-week repo auction rate) from 11.25 percent to 10.75 percent, which marks the sixth interest rate cut in a row since July 2019.

19 February 2020

Unemployment Rate in November 2019: 13.3 Percent

Unemployment Rate in November 2019: 13.3 Percent

The TurkStat has announced the Labor Force Statistics for November 2019. Accordingly, while the number of unemployed has reached 4 million 308 thousand people, the unemployment rate is 13.3 percent with 1 percentage point increase.

10 February 2020

112 Workers Lose Their Lives in January

112 Workers Lose Their Lives in January

According to the figures shared by the Health and Safety Labor Watch, while 12 of the deceased workers were women, 100 of them were men. Seven immigrant/refugee workers also lost their lives is occupational homicides in January.

10 February 2020

Pegasus Airlines Dismisses Former Fighter Pilot Who Commented on Plane Crash

Pegasus Airlines Dismisses Former Fighter Pilot Who Commented on Plane Crash

Pegasus Airlines has dismissed former fighter pilot Bahadır Altan, who said on TV after the plane crash, “Let’s just stop as a country. We are still talking about the 3rd airport, still opening a canal. The country is an accident waiting to happen.”

7 February 2020

‘I Want My Job Back’ Protest Sentenced to 37 Days in Prison

‘I Want My Job Back’ Protest Sentenced to 37 Days in Prison

Protesting for her reinstatement in Düzce for over three years now, discharged architect Alev Şahin has been sentenced to 37 days in prison for violating the Governorship’s ban on her sit-in protests.

6 February 2020

Halkbank Granted Reprieve in US Prosecution Over Iran Sanctions

Halkbank Granted Reprieve in US Prosecution Over Iran Sanctions

A court of appeals in Manhattan has granted Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank a temporary stay in Iran sanctions case so that its requests can be heard by a three-judge panel.

4 February 2020

Birleşik Metal-İş Union Agrees with Employers

Birleşik Metal-İş Union Agrees with Employers

After the union decided to begin a strike, the Ministry of Labor initiated a new round of negotiations between the union and the employers' association, which resulted in an agreement.

3 February 2020

TurkStat: Annual Inflation is 12.15 Percent

TurkStat: Annual Inflation is 12.15 Percent

According to the figures shared by the TurkStat for January 2020, consumer inflation has increased by 1.35 percent on a monthly basis and by 12.15 percent on an annual basis. The highest price increase was in eggplant with 81.46 percent.

3 February 2020

2 Miners Trapped Underground in Mine Collapse in Zonguldak

2 Miners Trapped Underground in Mine Collapse in Zonguldak

A mine has collapsed in Zonguldak, trapping two miners underground. The mine was reportedly unlicensed and sealed off by the authorities last year.

31 January 2020

Mahir Kılıç Reinstated in His Job: ‘It is a Gain for the Working Class’

Mahir Kılıç Reinstated in His Job: ‘It is a Gain for the Working Class’

Kılıç was on a hunger strike in front of CHP İstanbul Office for 160 days. His request was to be reinstated in his job. As he has been registered in the Social Security Institution (SGK) for his old job, he will end his strike today and start working after his treatment.

30 January 2020 Ayça Söylemez

Ten Thousand Metal Industry Workers to Begin Strike

Ten Thousand Metal Industry Workers to Begin Strike

While the largest workers union has accepted the salary increase offer of the employers, the United Metal Workers' Union has decided for a strike.

30 January 2020