Turkish police block workers' march, detain five, sparking hunger strike
Turkish riot police have blocked workers protesting their dismissal by the Polonez meat factory in Istanbul for unionizing as they attempted to start a march to Ankara. Five were detained, sparking a hunger strike by union organizers.
Duvar English
A group of workers, dismissed for joining the Tek Gıda-İş union, on Dec. 6 was set to begin a "Constitutional Rights March" from Istanbul’s Çatalca district to the capital Ankara province, to mark the fifth month of their resistance.
However, riot police blocked the workers, who began gathering outside the factory early in the morning. The workers, dressed in union vests and carrying flags, chanted slogans such as "Rights, Law, Justice" and "Ankara, hear our voices, these are the footsteps of workers." Authorities did not allow the march to proceed.
Suat Karlıkaya, an organizing specialist from the union, criticized the blockade, saying, "Your strength is only enough to suppress workers, isn’t it? As Polonez workers, we are currently under siege by law enforcement. We are not allowed to enter our tent or begin our march.”
He continued, “We are honorable workers of this country. We will take what is rightfully ours. Let those who created this scene watch it and feel ashamed."
Karlıkaya also reported that five Polonez workers attempting to walk through a field were detained with their hands cuffed behind their backs. "Our friends were taken into custody, and we have begun a hunger strike until they are released and the road is opened. We’ve reached the breaking point. What kind of country is this? We won’t turn back; we demand the road be opened," he declared.
In the remote Çatalca district of Istanbul, 135 workers who were members of the Tek Gıda İş Union were fired from the Polonez Meat Factory under code 46, indicating a disgraceful crime. The workers have been protesting since mid-July, demanding reinstatement.