LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY PART 2 8/20/

[Labor Video Project]

From: Labor Video Project <lvpsf>

/* Written  7:52 PM  Sep 23, 1994 by lvpsf in igc:labr.turkey */
/* ---------- "LABOR NEWS FROM TURKEY PART 2 8/20/" ---------- */
From: Labor Video Project <lvpsf>


 
INTERNATIONAL PROTEST AGAINST FIRINGS AT GARANTI BANK
 
In an announcement made by DISK (The Confederation of Revolutionary
Workers Unions) it was said that 140 workers fired from Garanti Bank
for organizing have received international support from all over the
world.
 
Letters from Sweden to Malaysia were sent to President Demirel, Prime
Minister Ciller and the President of Garanti Bank Akin Gungor demanded
that the workers should be hired back to their jobs.
Ozgur Ulke
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ATTORNEY ARRESTED
 
Necati Guven, an attorney in Erzurum was arrested by the police on
August 16 when he came out of a trial from the State Security Court.
Gercek
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JOURNALIST ARRESTED
 
Dogan Turan, working for the magazine 1 Mayis (May First) was arrested
by police after he left the office in the evening of August 16 in
Kadikoy, Istanbul.
 
Gercek
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POLICE GANG RAPE WOMAN
 
On August 3, Songul Ozyurt was kidnapped and raped by policemen when
she went to see her sister in the Kayseri prison.
 
In a press announcement, Ozyurt said after she got out of the bus two
men forced her to a blue van (Police uses blue vans in Turkey), tied
her eyes and was taken to an unknown place.  Police kept on asking her
why she came to Kayseri and accused her of supplying people to the
guerrillas and that she had hung an illegal banner.  Later on,  Ozyurt
said two policemen raped her.  Her rape was video taped by the police. 
 
The police also threatened to send the videotape to the newspapers and
declare that the guerrilla was using the women in the mountains this
way.  "The law is on our side" the police threatened Ozyurt, "and
nobody will believe you".  The police also promised to kill her if
they were to see her again.
 
Gercek
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TURK METAL CONDEMNS THE WORKERS
 
After the April 5 austerity measures the lay offs are happening en
mass at BMC.  102 workers were laid off in January, 55 in February,
210 in March and 226 in July.  Total number of fired workers adds up
to 593.
 
The third 'action' taken by Turk Metal (Turkish Metal Workers Union)
was concluded by a recent press release.  From the very first day of
the crises, the Izmir Branch manager Yilmaz Turan had done nothing but
try to ease the burden of the crunch on the bosses by offering free
work.
 
Currently there are 1500 workers who work in the two shifts in the
plant. When asked if there are any more cuts expected,  Turan replied,
"When BMC received more contracts, they hired more workers.  This is
why, after the crises an excess of workers were employed by the plant. 
The 1500 workers in the plant are the normal capacity of the factory".
 
The union did not fight for the workers kicked off the factory.  The
only gain was to negotiate with the bosses and receive the benefits
which were not paid to the fired workers in installments.
 
The employer forced the workers to sign an agreement to work for one week
and three weeks without any pay last June 2.  Some workers who opposed
this started a court suit against the bosses.  The was for 90 of these
workers who were not paid. The union found refuge again in the arms of the
law. In an open courtsuit against the employer filed in July when the
employer said that its workers past benifits would not be paid.
Three workers started sitting in front of factory from 8AM to 5 PM for 
three days between  Aug 5 to August 8.
Grcek
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