Workers won strike in Bekaert postponed by decision of the president
The Bekaert workers’ strike, which was banned on the grounds that it “disturbed national security” by the president’s decision and has been going on since December 13, resulted in progress.
In the United Metal-Is statement, it was indicated that the strike ended at 11:00 p.m. last night after the workers also approved the agreement.
The 50 percent increase proposed by the employer for the first 6 months as a wage increase was rejected by the workers, so they went on strike. With the agreement, an increase of 84.83 percent was received for the first period of 6 months.
In the statement issued by the union, it was announced that an increase in the form of inflation plus 2 points will be applied in the other semesters.
NO DUES WILL BE DUE DUE TO THE STRIKE
Announcing that social rights have increased by 100 percent in the first year, United Metal-İş also announced that there will be no salary cuts due to the strike.
The statement, which read: “As is known, our strike decision was prohibited under the name of ‘postponement’ for reasons of national security,” continued as follows:
“The workers of Bekaert, a member of United Metal-İş, making use of their constitutional rights, did not recognize the ban on the strike and carried out a glorious resistance for 18 days. The workers made significant progress with our Bekaert strike.
‘Strike bans have been thrown in the dustbin of history’
However, this strike is not primarily based on its financial results. Turkey will be remembered with its important place in the history of the working class.
With this glorious strike against the strike ban, a new page has been turned in the trade union struggle. After our Bekaert strike, the strike bans have been thrown into the dustbin of history.
We would like to thank all our friends, especially the Bekaert workers, who helped bring our strike to a successful end, who visited our strike in support, stood in solidarity with the working class and provided important moral support.”
WHAT HAPPENED?
The workers, who rejected the 50 percent increase offered by the Belgian employer for the first 6 months of the year and demanded a 130 percent increase for the first 6 months, decided to go on strike after a period of 4 months.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on the other hand, postponed strikes at the two Bekaert Çelik Company factories in Kocaeli for 60 days with the decision published in the Official Gazette on December 13.
However, the workers, who claimed that this decision meant a ban and not a postponement, had been on strike since December 13.
Describing the process to sozcu.com.tr, the president of the United Metal-İş union, Adnan Serdaroğlu, said in the letter that the employer sent the workers that this strike was illegal and threatened with dismissal without compensation.