22 July, 2011MAS-DAF workers fight for reinstatement after being summarily fired for joining the Turkish union, Birleşik Metal-İş, were detained by gendarmerie in an effort to stop the union's second round of actions to force the government to intervene.
TURKEY: Since April, more than 110 workers who were illegally fired after joining Birleşik Metal-İş have been holding pickets outside of the MAS-DAF Makina Sanayi factory in Düzce demanding their legitimate right to reinstatement.
On July 19, moments before a press conference was to be held announcing the union's plans to ramp up actions with a 234 kilometer march from Düzce to Ankara, gendarmerie stormed the rally and forcefully detained 12 workers and union leaders, including Mr. Celalettin Aykanat, executive committee member of DİSK and Birleşik Metal-İş.
Following their release late in the evening and the following morning, workers and union leaders began their march to the capital city where they hope to deliver a strong message to the Turkish government and International Labour Organisation that workers must be allowed to join unions without fear of retaliatory dismissals or anti-union discrimination.
MAS-DAF workers are planning to be in front of the ILO Office in Ankara on July 28 and in front of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on July 29.
The International Metalworkers' Federation and the European Metalworkers' Federation have actively campaigned for the reinstatement of MAS-DAF workers and urge affiliates of both organizations to send protest letters to:
Mr. Faruk Çelik
Minister of Labour and Social Security
Fax: +90 312 212 72 30
Mr. Vasip Şahin
Mayor of Duzce
Fax: +90 380 524 48 99