Eren ERGİNE
Murat UYSAL
İstanbul
In a press release at the Council meeting of Bakırköy Municipality, Mayor Kerimoğlu of CHP, stating "The monthly cost of a public worker to Bakırköy Municipality is 20 thousand," claimed that the net salary the workers receive was 13-14 thousand lira. Responding to Kerimoğlu, a worker reacted stating "I am a 12 year worker but I do not receive 14 thousand lira salary."
"WORKERS RECEIVE 13-14 THOUSAND LIRA SALARY"
Arguing that the rumours about zero increase in salaries is not true, Mayor Kerimoğlu continued "Turkey is going through high unemployment, high poverty levels and inflation, it is not in agenda that we have a motion to have zero increase. Collective agreement negotiations would have started around September-October 2019, after a couple months of negotiations, we would have signed them off at the beginning of 2020 at the latest. Because there is only one trade-union at Bakırköy Municipality. But a dispute was taken to the legal platform as a result of DISK’s appeal to challenge the current authorization. A collective agreement could not be signed due to the dispute that has continued for 2 years between the trade-unions."
Arguing that a worker costs ‘monthly 20 thousand lira’ to Bakırköy Municipality, Kerimoğlu said "They receive in net terms 13-14 thousand lira. Today, we currently have about 300 workers employed at Bakırköy Municipality Theatres. I got a pay-stub showing their wages from the human resources. The lowest monthly salary with bonus, of an elementary and middle school graduate, is 5 thousand 630 lira."
A WORKER SHOWED A PAY STUB: I RECEIVE 4 THOUSAND 55 LIRA
Having worked at Bakırköy Municipality for 25 years, Selahattin Özdemir, on the other hand, responded to Kerimoğlu’s claims as "I listened to the Mayor. He said we had been receiving 14 thousand lira salary. In my entire 25 year employment life, I have never received 14 thousand lira salary. If he still claims the same, I challenge him to show my last year’s pay stubs, the salary I get is written there. He offered us zero increase, we brought up the issue of inflation, we are not asking for huge figures."
To the contrary of what Kerimoğlu claimed, Yeliz Temur Türkan, receiving a salary of 4 thousand 55 lira, said “I have been receiving the same salary for two years. I would like to ask Mr. Mayor how a worker with 4 thousand 55 lira salary can live in any part of İstanbul, how s/he can pay his/her rent, how s/he can meet transportation expenses, how s/he can make a living, how s/he can have their children go to school, and do shopping? Let him tell us how to make a living with 4 thousand lira, then we will give him our consent.” Indicating that their salaries should not get diminished by inflation, Türkan continued "Another one of our demands is the employment security at the Theatres. I work on contractor, we get threatened with being laid off for we have gone on strike. In every month of May, we become subjected to this threat. We want to have employment security as soon as possible."
"WE WILL RESIST EVEN IF IT LASTS 2 YEARS"
Showing the last salary he received and the credit debt he has, Ismail Uluçay said "In this work place, I have never received that kind of salary. I will be a 12 year worker in March, there is 15 thousand lira debt in my credit card, there is 140 lira in my account, I cannot pay it. My salary bank card is at minus 4 thousand. I don’t want any charities, I want the worth of my sweat."
Criticizing Kerimoğlu’s argument that the collective agreement has not yet been signed off because of ‘the fight between trade-unions,’ Uluçay said “Well, who brought in this union? Who imposed on workers to opt for this union? We are organized here, but the other union has no members here, yet it may file an appeal for the authorization. Why do many things come to my mind for the answers; I do not see any good will at this. Mayor threatens us with lay-offs. There is no turning back. Either he will give us our demands, or we will resist here for a year or two years for as long as it takes. Our friends, employed through the decree law, get 3 thousand 200 lira salary and 5 lira daily for a meal. When they were permanently employed, their salaries were reduced; now they refuse to work, because they cannot make a living. He mentioned our friends who came from Izmir to support us, I talked to them. Those friends in Izmir say their salary reaches 10 thousand including the bonuses. He says ‘I wouldn’t work for a minute, had my salary been 4 thousand 500 lira.’ Am I a slave, is my crime to work at Bakırköy Municipality? I am on strike today, if necessary, we’ll draw on credit and continue the strike.
EMEP CHAIR ERCÜMENT AKDENIZ: BAKIRKÖY STRIKE IS THE STRIKE OF THE ENTIRE WORKING CLASS
Visiting the Bakırköy Municipality workers on strike against the imposition of zero increase, Party of Labour (EMEP) Chair Ercüment Akdeniz, emphasizing the great importance of the strike in Bakırköy for the working class of Turkey, said “This strike is the strike of the whole working class; if Bakırköy workers win, then all workers win.”
“THOSE ADVISING OF TURNING DOWN OF NATURAL GAS GET THREE SALARIES”
Reminding the economic conditions the country is in, Akdeniz spoke about “Besides high hydro and natural gas bills, they impose on workers the zero increase agreement. While the Municipality do this, the government is announcing price hikes one after another. They say ‘we are dependent on outside sources, that is why the increases happen.’ They advise the citizens ‘turn down the gas use.’ How would the citizens turn it down? Are you not ashamed of infants, children? They get three salaries, five salaries, and they tell workers ‘turn it down,’ they have no shame. While the rulers do this, look what the opposition does, they impose no wage increase.”
Explaining that the inflation rates TÜİK (TSI - Turkish Statistical Institute) announced do not reflect the reality, Akdeniz continued “TSI announces the inflation rate as 20% on one side, and they speak for the capital. And on the other side, there are independent economists, and they also calculate the inflation rate, they say it is 49%. This strike is the strike of the entire working class; if here, Bakırköy workers win, all works win. If Bakırköy workers don’t win, they would impose to all workers the figures that TSI announced.”
“THEY MADE THE COUNTRY OF THOSE WITH MINIMUM WAGE”
Stating that the government made the country of those with minimum wage, Akdeniz said “Turkey’s biggest collective agreement is that of minimum wage. They made the country of those with minimum wage. Half of the country is working for minimum wage, and the minimum wage is under the hunger limit. If we take into account the figures of the independent economists, the minimum wage has to be 5750 lira. If the minimum wage can’t , or it won’t be be 5750 lira, then those with minimum wage are starving.”
Mentioning that he met, in passing by the Bakırköy Theatre, two workers standing guard for the strike, Akdeniz read the poem of one of those workers, Nihat Karakaş:
“We must take the last breath out of the shackles by looking far out
We must distinguish the sun-set from dried-up branches
We must disport the veins of rivers outflowing away now
In the deep hole of the tears of time”
Yusuf Karadaş
Yücel Özdemir
