108 workers of a factory in Turkey’s western province of Kocaeli were detained by the police on Monday morning after the workers locked themselves in the compound in protest over the dismissal of a group of workers because of unionisation.
The workers were released after they were held in custody for a brief period of time and their testimonies were taken.
The workers of Farplas Otomotiv started their protest in front of the factory on Sunday moving into the factory to lock themselves in, demanding a reinstatement of their fellow workers.
They has stood up demanding a wage increase and improvement in their working conditions last week. Consequently nearly 150 workers, both union members and non- union members, were dismissed by the company.
The police entered the compound early in the morning detaining dozens of workers, forcing them into transfer vehicles, as some chanted slogans from the roof of the factory building.
The workers resisting inside the factory were soon joined by other workers and union representatives, including The United Metalworkers’ Union chair Adnan Serdaroğlu himself.
Addressing the crowd, Serdaroğlu said:
“We will not give up resisting in the face of this brutal attitude. We will continue our struggle against it.”
