Turkish workers strike for justice
reports on a labor battle taking place in Turkey.
ON APRIL 12, the Turkish Civil Aviation Union (Hava-Is) announced strike action over the Turkish Engine Center's (TEC) refusal to agree on a fair deal over pay and working conditions.
Members of the union rallied in front of the company's building near Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport to make their case to TEC, a joint venture between Pratt & Whitney and Turkish Technic for the maintenance overhaul and repair of CFM56 and V2500 engines. Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of United Technologies, holds a 51 percent controlling share in the company.
Last October Hava-Is, representing some 190 technicians and engineers Turkish Engine Center won bargaining rights for its members following a yearlong legal battle.
Currently, the company and union have been unable to agree on 18 out of 108 of the points under negotiation.
Addressing TEC workers, Hava-Is President Atilay Ayçin explained why the talks between the company and the union collapsed two weeks ago:
First, by resorting to anti-democratic provisions of the Trade Union Law, they delayed our bargaining rights for almost a year. This happened although Pratt & Whitney managers promised us to respect union rights in a meeting we made in 2009. For 112 days, we adopted very responsible approach while they took an increasingly hostile attitude at the bargaining table.
And as you all know, two weeks ago, they used force against our educational secretary, brother Ayhan Uygun while he was trying to carry out his union duties. Now they are shamelessly lying about the incident. The reality is this: The director of this company openly and repeatedly told our shop stewards and members that he doesn't want to see a union at this workplace. If you attack Hava-Is, we assure you that there will be no production at this workplace.
According to the law, the strike announcement is being followed by a 60-day negotiation period, during which the union may provide six working days' notice of a strike. Strike action is likely to take place in the first half of May if there is no improvement.
