18 December, 2007Victory of Women Workers at Novamed
The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) commends Turkish trade union affiliate Petrol-Is and management Fresenius Medical Care for signing a collective bargaining agreement today, 18 December, for workers at Novamed. The ICEM salutes the 300 workers of Novamed, a manufacturer of bloodline and kidney dialysis equipment, for their stand in becoming the first unionised workforce within the Antalya Free Trade Zone of Turkey.
A three-year initial labour agreement was signed today in Istanbul between Petrol-Is and Novamed that ends a historic strike by 84 of the workers in Mersin, Antalya. The strike, which will stand as a test of courage for fairness and dignity on the job, began on 26 September 2006.
The (no longer) striking workers at Novamed
"The ICEM is extremely proud to have played a major role in bringing a negotiated settlement that ends this long struggle," said General Secretary Manfred Warda. "We especially commend the workers of Novamed, union leaders of Petrol-Is, and management of Fresenius in Germany and Novamed in Turkey for bringing resolve to issues that caused the strike.
The settlement will bring the 84 strikers, 82 of whom are women, back to the job, and will grant all workers a wage increase of 5% for the first year, and of 4% for the second and third year of the agreement. It also brings a social package that includes a payment for each of two religious holidays in Turkey, as well as productivity and attendance bonuses for workers. All the striking workers will return to work on the 2nd of January 2008.
The ICEM recognises the work and cooperation done by the European Mine, Chemical, Energy Workers' Federation (EMCEF) and by ICEM’s German affiliate IGBCE in helping to bring about the settlement. The ICEM also recognises the important role played by other trade unions, as well as by many women's groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others inside Turkey who shared steadfast support with the strikers. Warda paid special tribute to Petrol-Is President Mustafa Oztaskin and other leaders of the union for their efforts.
"This is a victory that the entire family of ICEM unions globally can be proud of," he said. "The solidarity and support by many made it happen. We now extend to workers and managers alike at Novamed for a long and mutually beneficial relationship in this workplace."
The strike drew worldwide interest following concerted action by the ICEM on 8 March 2007, International Women's Day, in which hundreds of trade unions and individuals rallied to the defence of workers. Following a meeting in Germany by ICEM, EMCEF, and IGBCE with corporate officials in late September 2007, negotiations began in Turkey, and after two sessions in October and November, the negotiations were concluded with an agreement on 18 December 2007.