soL News talked with 213 glassware workers who had been fired at a factory in Turkey's Istanbul. The workers launched a resistance in front of the factory following their dismissals without receiving their wages and dues under the pretext of bankruptcy.
The glassware workers from Gülsan Group had stopped working on October 23 since they could not their salaries and they had a meeting with the factory administration. The boss told them that they went bankrupt, thus they would shut down the factory. Following their dismissals, the workers have been in resistance in front of the factory for 17 days.
One of the resisting worker, Neşe Yanlı, answered the questions of "We will breathe down the bosses' necks", a solidarity, communication and struggle network led by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) against the economic crisis and its profiteers.
Talking about the process of their collective dismissals, she said that they had received half pays for three months, and they could get no wages in the last three months. As they asked the employer about when they could receive their dues, they were told that the factory would be shut down, thus they were fired.
"WE'RE IN FRONT OF FACTORY SEVEN DAY 24 HOURS"
Saying that she had worked at that workplace since November 2011, Neşe told soL that the boss dismissed them on October 23, 201,8 without showing any reason. "We've been seeking for our rights here with our friends in the rain and cold without food and water," she said, adding that the boss avoided an official declaration of bankruptcy.
In answer to whether they had predicted that the factory would have gone bankrupt, she said that the bankruptcy was illogical since they had orders to finish even in the last day. "Seven truck-load of goods were transferred from here in the last week. In other words, bankruptcy is out of the question. We also don't know why it is closed. We're waiting amidst such great uncertainty and astonishment," she said, adding that they would continue to wait day and night every day at the factory until they could receive their compensations.
'WE'RE FORCED TO WORK EVEN UNDER MEDICAL REPORT'
Talking about the working conditions at the factory before their dismissals, she said that they could never take their overtime pays, adding that they had been paid cash in hand over 45-hour working times with the aim of avoiding official data. The employers avoided showing the workers as heavy industrial workers on official payrolls so as to diminish the wages.
"Yes, we wore off, all of us have herniated disc problems. I had a work accident. They forced us to work here even when we had medical reports," she noted.
In response to what they've learnt from the resistance, she told soL that she felt like a fool now since she had worked for the factory as if it had been her own property. She said that 213 workers had been kicked out like a dog.
'THE STATE IS ON THE SIDE OF BOSSES'
"This happened to us today at this factory. Tomorrow similar things will happen to our friends working at other factories. That is obvious. We wait for support from all worker fellows. Our state says it is on the side of workers, but, indeed, the state is on the side of bosses when we seek for our rights," she said.
She also told soL that a trade union organization had been launched at the factory at one time, but the boss, Ali Bayraktar, had suppressed them with money or threat. "If we are afraid, if we don!t struggle, then none of us will win," she said. She concluded that what they want from the bosses was only their rights and compensation dues.
