Nearly 6,000 workers from 10 glass factories in Turkey have finally reached an agreement with their employer Sisecam after first beginning strike action in June. The Turkish government supported the employer, by ordering that the workers’ strike be “postponed” (tantamount to a strike ban). Despite state repression, the union signed an agreement for an average 14% wage increase and 10% to 49% increase in benefits. This case demonstrates the difficulty that Turkish workers face when the state uses legalistic means to criminalise strikes.
Nearly 6,000 workers from 10 glass factories in Turkey have finally reached an agreement with their employer Sisecam after first beginning strike action in June. The Turkish government supported the employer, by ordering that the workers’ strike be “postponed” (tantamount to a strike ban). Despite state repression, the union signed an agreement for an average 14% wage increase and 10% to 49% increase in benefits. This case demonstrates the difficulty that Turkish workers face when the state uses legalistic means to criminalise strikes.
