July 19th, 2006

The workers of the privatized Public Copper Works in the Murgul province of the North Eastern city of Artvin are struggling to continue their employment with their current union organization after the turnover. Today the workers staged a march to the gates of the mine accompanied by their families.

The private company CEKA AŞ., which obtained the public copper plant, had declared it did not want any union in the workplace and if the workers resisted they would bus in scab workers from outside the town to Murgul. The corporation also hung a banner at the gate of the plant on July 7th, which declared that the plant was now in private hands and that all workers rights had been suspended.

Faced with the new bosses threats, the workers then started guarding and keeping a watch on the plant to prevent scabs from coming in.

The workers demand to work only under union representation and that if more workers are needed, they should be brought from within Murgul province. They are stating that bringing in scabs from outside would mean and end to Murgul where the people are already impoverished and the copper plant is the only source of income for the people there.

The workers demand that all workers to be employed from their town and that they start work under union representation.

Today, the workers and their families marched to the gate of the plant and repeated their demands. Other people from the town also gave support and marched with them. The laborers and their supporters chanted, “The workers are here, where are the owners?” and, “Oppression will not break us.” Other popular chant was, “The Mine and Murgul are one and the same, and those who leave are traitors.”

In speeches given by the workers representatives it was said, “We are not against the new company or the ones that competed to buy the plant. We want to continue our employment here and to be represented by our union. This is the border. No trespassing here. We will not allow scabs from other places to come here. We are present here, where are the owners?”

The mayor of Murgul, Mehmet Yıldırım and the mayor of Damar, Yaşar İnan was also present to give support to the workers as well as the popular folk singer Bayar Şahin.

In a rally in the town theater before the march the Mine Workers Union, Maden-İş branch president Ali Ergün spoke and said, “We are in full knowledge of what will happen here if work stars with or without the union. The bosses never want the unions.”

He added, “Once, people here couldn’t even find housing in Murgul due to economic activity. Now the vacant houses are everywhere. Streets are empty with young unemployed people wondering around. If we do not react to it now, we will be too late. We must act in unity in all our gains or losses. We can not lose if we were to act together.” He also added, “Our reaction to the decision and our actions will continue until we come to an agreement.”