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A spiteful UPS fires more workers after UNI demonstration at Istanbul picket line



More than 35 Trade Unionists from UNI Europa Post & Logistics together with the Belgian Union ABVV-FGTB visited the picket line made by fired UPS workers in front of UPS Istanbul, and immediately afterwards the company in a spiteful move fired another 30 workers who are union members. UPS Turkey and its subcontractors have dismissed 89 workers in the last two months on the grounds that they are the members of TUMTIS (Motor Vehicle Workers’ Union of Turkey)



On Wednesday the 30^th of June, one of the three picket lines formed by the fired UPS workers in Istanbul and Izmir. In the last 2 months UPS management in Turkey have continually dismissed workers for their Union membership and threatened the remaining people not to join the Union. This was the extreme anti union reaction by UPS in response to an organising campaign started by Tümtis, the Turkish transport Union.



The visitors had the chance to meet and talk with the workers and expressed their solidarity in joint chanting and demanded that the UPS management come out meet with the workers and to start the negotiations with the Trade Union. Cornelia Berger, policy officer of UNI Europa Post & Logistics speaking at the picket line and in interviews with the local press, that it is unacceptable and against basic human rights not to recognise the Trade Union and to dismiss people because of their Union affiliation. She demanded respect for workers all over the world and the right to join a Union for everybody, no matter where or in which company they are working.



The visit was a very emotional moment, the fired workers have remained day and night for 2 months in front of the UPS gate to fight for their rights and are very happy to see that their struggle is heard also outside Turkey. Tümtis has organised the resistant against the companies totally unacceptable behaviour and has supported the colleagues financially as they have no redundancy payment or social support by the Turkish state. The Union representatives also expressed the urgent need for solidarity to give people the force to continue. UNI Europa Post & Logistics promised to keep on fighting and to inform all contacts by using the global delivery network and bring this topic to public attention at every opportunity.



TÜMTİS has set up picket lines in front of the UPS head-offices and trans-shipment centres in Izmir and Istanbul. Although the resistance has been active for two months none of the UPS executives has accepted the invitation to negotiate.

 

Immediately after the visit, CIB (one of the UPS subcontractors) dismissed 29 workers as a "return missile" for the very encouraging and enthusiastic demonstration of support. Soon after, UPS dismissed one more worker and thus, the total number of workers that are dismissed increased by 30 in one day.

 

UPS Forces the Workers to Resign!!!

UPS Subcontractor Shoots the Trade Unionists!!!

In Izmir, UPS subcontractor ER-KA forced the union-member workers to go to the notary to resign officially. The trade union representatives who tried to talk to the workers were attacked brutally with guns by Erhan Kahraman, the owner of the subcontracting company ER-KA, and the managers. During the clash, the owner Erhan Kahraman fired bullets against the unionists. By a very big stroke of luck nobody was shot. After the attack, both the subcontractor Erhan Kahraman and the unionists were taken to the police centre.

 

TUMTIS says; "We Will Never Bow to Pressure!!!"

The determined resistance of the UPS workers and our union TÜMTİS can never be ended with such brutal attacks. On the contrary, such attacks will consolidate our determination for struggle.  

• UPS workers will win!!!
• We call the UPS and its subcontractors to be respectful to labour rights
• We call all trade-unions internationally to actively join our solidarity actions.