Students/Workersstrugglke in Turkey

[ozgurluk at xs4all.nl]

25 March,1998


  Istanbul municipal workers stage short strike

  _________________________________________________________________

Istanbul - Turkish Daily News

Workers belonging to the Belediye-Is Union walked off the job Tuesday
for four hours to protest the lack of progress in negotiations over a
new comprehensive agreement for 1998-2000. Gathering in front of the
Aksaray Metro Station early in the morning, the workers then proceeded
to march straight to Istanbul City Hall, shouting slogans as they
went.

According to a statement made in front of City Hall, the talks for a
comprehensive agreement have been going on since February 12 but
negotiators have been unable to reach a consensus on 25 articles, four
of which involve money and 21, administrative matters. Stressing that
the latter are as important as the money issue, their spokesman,
Belediye -Is Branch No. 2 Chairman Hasan Gulum, said that the 80
percent increase offered to them was not enough.

Pointing out that the average wage in the municipalities was TL 35
million, Gulum emphasized that as long as the municipalities did not
provide job security and a liveable wage, they would be unable to
reach an agreement.
  _________________________________________________________________

Incident at Istanbul University

  * Police clashed with leftist students at Istanbul Univeristy; six
 police and 10 students were injured.

  _________________________________________________________________

Istanbul - Turkish Daily News

Incidents continue to happen at Istanbul University. Monday two
students were injured as a result of a fight which broke out between
leftist and rightist students. Tuesday leftist students who wanted to
protest these incidents at the Political Sciences Faculty gathered.
When the police intervened against those who were inside the Faculty,
molotov cocktails and stones were thrown at the former. As a result of
the incident, six police were injured and taken to Capa Medical
Faculty Hospital for treatment.

While these incidents were occurring inside the faculty building, the
police squad which first intervened asked for assistance by wireless
telephone and rapid deployment force teams gathered in the
University's garden. The result of the argument in which sticks and
stones were used, two rightist students and eight leftists were
wounded and taken to the hospital at Capa Medical Faculty.

Afterwards the six policemen who were wounded went to the office of
the prosecutor and filed complaints against the students who injured
them.

The number of students taken into custody by the police was not
announced.

-- 
Press Agency Ozgurluk
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