Two hour general strike in Turkey
Mar 15 2008 07:39
Two hour general strike in Turkey
"They embarked on a slow-down strike. It is absolutely illegal, there is not a single law that permits the strike" was the way that Turkish Prime Minister , Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reacted to the two hour strike on Friday.
Education Minister Hüseyin Çelik threatend legal action not only against teachers who had joined the strike, but against every illegal strike act. He said "We will do what is necessary. Teachers don't have any excuse for staging a slowdown".
The strike against the Governments new social security plans included teachers, airport workers, petrochemical workers train, and bus drivers, and other sectors.
It was the biggest strike in Turkey since 1991.
Further conflict looks inevitable.
Devrim
Mar 15 2008 10:33
#2
A couple of links from the Islamicist t(he best English language)press:
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=136350
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=136464
It is against the new law:
Zaman wrote:
Some of the regulations that the Labor Platform objects to in the new social security bill are:* Currently the retirement age is 58 for women and 60 for men; the new bill gradually increases this benchmark to 65 and the obligatory number of working days to 9,000 from 7,000.
* The new regulation removes seniority allowances and severance pay in some sectors.
* The minimum amount of time one must have worked to qualify for a disability annuity increases to 10 years from five years and obligatory working days increases to 1,800 days from 900 days.
* The development rate coefficient, used for calculating pensions and other benefits, will be reduced to 0.30 for pensions.
* The base level for work accident compensations is being removed.
* The widows' pension rate for the childless will be reduced to 50 percent from 75 percent of the husband's final salary.
* Maternity payment, paid for six months at the rate of one-third of the mother's monthly salary, will be reduced to a single payment.
* Funeral allowances, currently three times the minimum wage, will equal the minimum wage.
* The types of medical treatment methods and the amount of medicines given that will be covered by state insurance will be determined by the Social Security Institution (SGK) instead of hospitals.
* Health insurance coverage for workers who leave their jobs will drop to 10 days. Workers are currently covered for six months
It was organised by various unions ranging from yellow to revolutionary syndicalist.
Devrim
Mar 15 2008 11:25
#3
Those measures are one hell of an atack on the working class.
Mar 31 2008 14:18
#4
More strikes planned for tomorrow:
TNA wrote:
Turkey's leading labor groups known as the
Emek (Labor) Platform announced they will launch mass protests against Social Security and Health Insurance draft law, throughout Turkey at 2:00 p.m. on April 1.Revolutionary Labour Unions Confederation (DISK), Confederation of Public Employees Labour Unions (KESK) Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers & Architects (TMMOB), Turkish Medical Association, and Turkish Dentists Association will launch mass protests throughout Turkey which will begin with a press statement at 2:00 pm on April 1 in front of the Parliament building.
KESK Chairman Ismail Hakkı Tombul held a press conference on Friday and said they would leave their work places at 2:00 p.m. April 1 and launch mass protests. He said they would gather in front of the Parliament's Dikmen gate and make their voices be heard once again.
Tombul said they would also attend the rally organized by the "Health and a Secure Future for All Platform" on April 6 in Istanbul.
Devrim
What are the demands Dev? Is it union organised?