News

After 16 days of strike, Sosyal Is won a fight against Leroy Merlin for wage increase and better working conditions for its employees. Employer responded to all trade union demands to a great extent and the collective agreement was successfully concluded.

At the end of the first strike at do-it-yourself market and at shopping malls in Turkey, Leroy Merlin workers gained a collective agreement for three years, ensured protection of union rights and job security of its members, acquired a fair wage increase, a package of social benefits and advancement of working conditions. 

Sosyal Is sent a message of warm thanks to UNI Global Union and all UNI affiliates standing in solidarity with Leroy Merlin workers in Turkey. UNI support and solidarity encouraged unions’ members and strengthened their faith in victory; Sosyal Is also pledges for the establishment of UNI Leroy Merlin Global Alliance. The proposal will be further discussed within UNI Commerce. 

The struggle for better rights and better working conditions is just at the beginning – said Sosyal IS President, Metin Ebeturk – the struggle continues for commerce workers, especially for the hundreds of thousands of commerce workers employed in shopping malls, the new “factories” of commerce sector. Our union will decisively do its best to organize workers in shopping malls and win their rights together with them. We will keepbreaking through together!” 

The strike started as the company refused to respond to legitimate Sosyal-Is demands for a three years collective agreement, protection of union rights and job security, better working conditions, a wage increase that would compensate loss in workers’ real wages and new social benefits for workers. 

On the contrary, the company offered only a 4.5 percent wage increase. While refusing workers’ demands for new social benefits, employer adopted a position that would have jeopardized current rights and working conditions. Besides, employer insisted on a collective agreement for a year that would end 3 months later which would have had a disastrous impact in terms of membership loss. 

As a result, a letter was sent from UNI Europa Regional Secretary, Oliver Roethig and UNI head of department Alke Boessiger to Leroy Merlin management. UNI Global Commerce Conference also adopted a solidarity statement in support of striking Leroy Merlin workers and Sosyal-Is on October the 11th in Buenos Aires. 

Alke Boessiger, head of the Commerce Sector at UNI warmly congratulates Sosyal IS for this great victory. “We have no doubt that UNI and UNI affiliates will maintain their support and solidarity in our struggle to provide living wage and better working conditions for commerce workers in Turkey as well as in other parts of the world. This victory clearly shows that workers which organize globally would not be defeated.”