The workers planned on reading their demands and voicing the issues in front of the Family, Work, and Social Services Ministry. However, the bus carrying the workers to the building was stopped by the police. The police informed the workers that they were not allowed to do any kind of gathering in front of the Ministry offices.
The walk that started in Istanbul and headed for Ankara had the theme “I want my right to work, I want my job back.”
The marching union workers had started the walk last week, reported by Sendika.org, to protest the cutbacks and layoffs in Turkey’s public sector.
The workers planned on reading their demands and voicing the issues in front of the Family, Work, and Social Services Ministry. However, the bus carrying the workers to the building was stopped by the police. The police informed the workers that they were not allowed to do any kind of gathering in front of the Ministry offices.
This started long hours of negotiations between the workers and the police. In the end, the union members read their statement in the plaza, where the police stopped them.
While the police and the workers negotiated, a large group of workers gathered in front of the Family, Work, and Social Services Ministry offices to welcome those marching from Istanbul. The police attacked these workers and forced them to disperse.
Mezopotamya News Agency reported that the co-president of KESK, the Confederation of Public Workers’ Union, Aysun Gezen reported the illegal attacks the group endured on the way to Ankara. Gezen said, “If the law Code 29, which allows workers to be dismissed due to immoral behavior has itself turned into immorality to get rid of workers; if workers are forced to work without any safety precautions; if workers are condemned to absolute poverty; then these will diminish our credibility.”
While the police were attacking the workers and the union representatives in Ankara, members of the same KESK confederation staged a protest rally in Antalya, a southern city in Turkey.
Sendika.org News (MB)