Two Kurdish employees at an Istanbul Airport restaurant were fired for speaking Kurdish, revealing what they describe as discriminatory practices and harsh working conditions. Mehmet Kalkan and Fatih Aydın, both from Kızıltepe (Qoser) in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority Mardin (Mêrdîn) province, were dismissed after allegedly enduring months of discrimination and harassment, as reported by Mezopotamya Agency’s İbrahim Irmak on Tuesday.
Kalkan, who worked at the HD İskender restaurant for four years, was dismissed on 8 August, followed by Aydın the next day. The official reason given for their dismissal was an incident involving a malfunctioning fryer that caught fire. Kalkan recounted the events, stating, “We had just finished our shift and were about to take a break when the fryer, which was already faulty, burst into flames. The fire brigade extinguished it, but the next morning, we were threatened by the head chef and later dismissed.”
Aydın, who had been working at the restaurant for three months, also faced difficulties. “Throughout my time there, we were subjected to insults and threats,” he said, describing the deplorable conditions of the company-provided accommodation. “The place was infested with rodents and insects, with broken faucets and no hygiene standards.”
Both workers reported being reprimanded for speaking Kurdish at work. “We were told, ‘You cannot speak Kurdish here,'” Aydın said. “Turkish songs were played without issue, but when we played Kurdish music, we were scolded. Eventually, it was banned altogether. The restaurant manager even said, ‘I will get rid of all Kurds here; we don’t need Kurds.’ After these comments, around 12 Kurdish employees left their jobs.”
Despite their dismissal, neither Kalkan nor Aydın has received the wages they were owed. “They claimed we had no outstanding payments, but they still owe me for transportation, previous month’s wages and ten days of work,” Aydın said.
When reached for comment, the restaurant’s manager, N.E., responded, “We simply don’t want Kurdish to be spoken in front of customers or in my presence because I don’t understand it.”
