16 December, 2010In a second court hearing this week a Turkish court orders Sinter Metal to reinstate all dismissed workers. Birlesik Metal Is celebrates victory in a march to the company.
TURKEY: The remaining Sinter Metal workers dismissed in December 2008 won their reinstatement cases on December 15, 2010, following a similar decision by the same court on another group of Sinter Metal workers two days earlier.
The legal cases were launched by the Sinter Metal workers and their union Birlesik Metal-Is immediately after their dismissal in December 2008. The court ruled that the workers were not dismissed for "economic reasons" as cited by the company, but for trade union membership. The court ordered Sinter Metal to reinstate the workers, or alternatively the workers are entitled to receive 12 months wages and an additional 4 months wages for the judgment process.
Later on December 15, Birlesik Metal-Is organized a march to celebrate the decision of reinstatement. The March began from the A gate of the Dudullu Organized Zone and walked to the company. In front of the company gates, Birlesik Metal-Is President Mr. Adnan Serdaroglu and the President of DISK, Mr. Suleyman Celebi, made speeches. They called on the employer to accept the reinstatements and begin fair negotiations with Birlesik Metal-Is. Adnan Serdaroglu also mentioned in his speech that, "Sinter is not the only case that we face these problem and unfortunately it will not be the last if the legal system and the behaviors of the employers do not change." He called on all unions and democratic institutions to struggle together against these attacks.
Sinter Metal workers expressed their happiness with the outcome shouting slogans: "The union will enter to Sinter Metal, there is no other way", "We resisted and we won in the end", and "The victory came with resistant workers".
Birlesik Metal Is sends its thanks to the many unions and organizations around the world who have lent their support to this struggle, including the International Metalworkers' Federation.
Under Turkish labour law the company has the right to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court. The IMF will continue to monitor the situation and support Birlesik Metal Is in ensuring that the workers are reinstated or properly compensated by Sinter Metal.
View the details of the Sinter Metal workers' two year struggle here.