Turkish PM condemns strike

A two hour general strike in Turkey against new social security plans has been condemned by the prime minister.

Submitted by Devrim on March 15, 2008

"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.

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