Turkish e-commerce site Trendyol delivery strike results in 38.8% pay raise for workers

Duvar English

Following a three-day strike, delivery workers for Trendyol Express, the distribution of Turkish e-commerce site Trendyol, have secured a 38.8% rise in wages. Amidst sky-high inflation, workers rejected an 11% raise first offered by the company. 

Workers were called to the headquarters of the Trendyol group in Maslak on Jan. 26, two days after they declared the strike on Jan. 24. Representatives for the couriers and delivery employees rejected an 11% raise initially offered by the company, insisting on 38.8%.

Official inflation in Turkey, year over year, currently stands at 36.8%, though many experts believe the real figure is far higher. Inflation has been particularly acutely felt in housing prices, food, and utilities. 

Executives eventually agreed to the workers' demands, conceding that base pay for a salaried delivery worker for the company will now be 12,500 Turkish Liras, up from 9,500 liras. 

“We resisted those who imposed an 11% hike on us and got a 38.8% hike,” representatives for the workers said on social media, “May this be beneficial to all of our fellow Trendyol employees, and may it be an example to all workers and laborers.”

In their statement on the pay raises, Trendyol acknowledged that in their current business model, delivery workers are paid per package they deliver in addition to a base salary. They said judging workers’ pay based solely on the fee they are paid per delivered package is “misleading.” However, they agreed to the workers' demands for an increase in set pay.

Trendyol Express workers when they went on strike demanded a 50% increase in package delivery fees, the abolishment of the “second slot” shift, and an end to mobbing of employees, among other demands. 

The success of the Trendyol strike has inspired delivery workers throughout Turkey. In the Aegean region of Denizli, contract delivery workers for Aras Cargo stopped deliveries, demanding an increase in their pay, daily Evrensel reported. Some 60 Aras Cargo couriers were reported to be carrying out a work stoppage, which has led to delays and supply issues. Representatives of the couriers went to the provincial office of the company for negotiations.