A-101 grocery chain workers protest working conditions, demand overtime pay
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Workers of A-101, one of the largest discount grocery chains in Turkey, have protested the company in front of one of its stores in Harbiye, İstanbul.
Displaying a banner reading, "End to the order of slavery at A-101," they read out a statement, saying that the working conditions have worsened during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Bosses of grocery chains bragged about the turnover they made by exploiting workers. Their shield against the workers who objected was the sentence, 'There are thousands like you outside'," said a union representative, Doğan Aras. "Bosses have benefited from unemployment, 12-hour work has been imposed on workers."
While workers are forced to work between 7.30 a.m. and 8 p.m., their work hours are recorded as eight hours a day, so they are not able to receive overtime payment, he said.
The workers demanded their overtime pay for hours worked in excess of eight hours a day and to be able to use the legal break time of one hour.
A101’e Mağaza Market-Sen girecek, kölelik bitecek!
— Mağaza Market-Sen (@MagazaMarketSen) March 8, 2021
07:30-20:00 kölelik düzenine son demek için Harbiye A101 önünde buluştuk pic.twitter.com/0YqwwiQjJQ
(HA/VK)