August 23, 2006 The Workers who were fired for unionizing at AL-CO kitchenware plant have been attacked by the Turkish Army again, on their 16th day of resistance. The attacked workers were later arrested. When the resisting workers refused to leave the plant premises, the Prosecutor’s office ordered for them to be brought in for […]
August 23, 2006
The Workers who were fired for unionizing at AL-CO kitchenware plant have been attacked by the Turkish Army again, on their 16th day of resistance. The attacked workers were later arrested.
When the resisting workers refused to leave the plant premises, the Prosecutor’s office ordered for them to be brought in for questioning. When the Birleşik Metal İş, the United Union of Metal Workers announced that they will not abandon their place in front of the factory to go to questioning, as a first step 15 workers were forcefully arrested by the Turkish Army Gendarmeries units and taken to custody to the army security offices.
In another incident, the bosses tried busing in scab workers to replace the fired workers. But the resisting workers prevented the bus from unloading, and the scabs were turned away.
When the bus approached the factory, the workers stopped it. The Birleşik Metal İş Union general secretary Selcuk Göktaş and its Kocaeli branch secretary Metin Muslu laid in front of the bus and prevented it from approaching. The army units then started attacking the workers. The workers also shut down the gates of the factory to stop the bus carrying scabs from entering the plant.
While attacking he workers, the army unit commander said he will bury the workers under the rubble of the factory.
Workers maintain that the actions of the bosses and the army gendarmerie unit are illegal and they have the right to unionize under the Turkish Constitution.
With the recent arrests, currently 37 workers of the AL-CO plant are under the army’s custody.
Sendika.Org/Kocaeli
MB.
