News

A delegation from the Turkish graphical & packaging union Basin-Is, Yakup Akkaya (President) Fatih Aydemir, the Financial Secretary Ilhami Celik and the HoD of UNI Graphical & Packaging, Steve Walsh visited the flexible packaging company Propak Ambalaj Uretim ve Pazarlama A.S. which is situated in the industrial city of Duzce.



The plant produces flexible printed packaging for both food and non food industries,



This plant is fully organized and has a collective agreement which is scheduled for renegotiation later in the year. The delegation took the opportunity of meeting with the Shop Steward Hasan Sonmez and spoke to members during their lunch break.



The plant works 3 shifts 6 days per week (42 hour week), the working conditions were very good and though it was recently acquired by a private equity company there has been considerable investment made in the plant which will mean new machinery and more employment. A tour of the facility was made.



The plant has been operational since the 1970s and was first organised by Basin-Is just after the

military coup in September 1980, while there was pressure on unions

throughout the country. The plant survived through the catastrophic earthquake in 1999 and the recent financial crisis without dismissals as the union and its members worked with the Company and shared the burden.



As part of the visit to Turkey there was also a discussion with the union about the organizing plans in the multi national companies. Basin-Is is very much committed to continuing the organizing drive and maintaining the emphasis on health and safety within the packaging and graphical sector and with the support of other graphical unions and the Sector they are confident they can continue to grow the membership in Basin-Is.