Turkey police detain some workers in TEKEL protest

Turkish Tobacco and Liquor Administration (TEKEL) workers launched a sit-in protest after police did not let them make a press statement in front of the Turkish Confederation of Labor (Turk-Is) headquarters.

Police intervened in a group of protestors who did not disperse despite their call. Then, protestors ran into other streets to escape from police, and threw stones at police officers.

Police detained 15 protestors, and took them to the police department.

On March 2, TEKEL workers ended their 78-day protest and removed their tents following a decision of the Council of State.

Workers from the privatized TEKEL factories displayed the protest in capital Ankara for 78 days in an effort to secure a transfer to other public institutions along with their employee rights.

The government offered to reemploy TEKEL workers under 4-C contract, which means a partial loss of rights for the workers, the initial cause of the protests. However, the government promised to ameliorate the conditions of the contract with the new offer.

Turkey's major confederation of labor and civil servant unions had gone a one-day nation wide strike on February 4 to extend support to TEKEL workers in protest of the government.


/World Bulletin/