Turkish delivery firm Getir fires worker after his street interview protesting working conditions

Duvar English

Turkish ultrafast delivery giant Getir has fired an employee after he protested the working conditions and the deteriorating economy in a street interview.

In his interview last month, the motorcycle courier, whose name has not been disclosed, said: “I am working 14 hours a day. I have no purpose, no goal. Did I come to the world, just to work?”

“If a car hits me right here, cross my heart that I wouldn't say 'Why did I die? I was going to live.' The last time I went on a holiday was in 2017,” he further said.

Afterwards, the employee was fired from his job. In an interview to daily Cumhuriyet on Nov. 12, the former employee said that the firm had not given him any reason for his dismissal.

“They de facto fired me yesterday, but they [Getir administration] had already started to behave very negatively in the aftermath of that interview. They were putting pressure and threatening me. They were constantly saying, 'We would fire you, pray that we are not firing you,'” the courier said.

He said that the firm had not fired him right away after the interview since it would draw a reaction, but waited for a while until the interview would be forgotten. He said he had gotten a call from his manager who told him that the administration wanted to fire him. “He [the manager] told me, 'I asked for one more chance for you; do not give such an interview again; do not lose your last chance,” the courier said.

Getir confirmed the worker's dismissal in a statement on Nov. 12, but denied that the decision had anything to do with last month's street interview. 

“His [employment] contract has been terminated due to other reasons related to work discipline. This decision has nothing to do with the statement the courier previously made,” the company said in a written statement shared on Twitter.