Mass layoffs at Turkish metal factory following strikes spark backlash

Serra Taylan / Gazete Duvar

Turkish metal producer ETİ Krom A.Ş. has begun layoffs in the eastern Elazığ province, dismissing 150 workers on Dec. 30, 2024. Additionally, nearly 300 more workers are reportedly set to be laid off. On July 2, 2024, the company made headlines with a strike against poor working conditions. 

On July 11, 2024, company owner Ali Rıza Yıldırım addressed workers at a meeting, scolding them and saying, "Eti Krom has 1,463 employees. Right now, you are the minority. We can replace all of you because the majority continue to work. You weren’t here when I acquired this company from the state from scratch. Tomorrow, I can put everyone outside the gate. This place will close."

Following the protests, on July 17, 2024, workers were granted a 15 percent wage increase and three months of bonuses.

It was noted that some of the workers dismissed were active union representatives during the previous strike. The layoffs are believed to be related to the July 2024 strike. 

Dismissed union representative Ömer Arslan said that on Dec. 31, company manager Erdal Aslan contacted him and verbally informed him of the dismissal. Arslan stated that the workers received their severance pay but warned of severe future hardships.

He said, "We were told verbally that we would be laid off, and shortly after, we were dismissed. The workers dismissed were those who participated in the July strike, and we believe the main reason for their dismissal is this."

He touched upon the consequences of these dismissals for the workers, "Many families will suffer. For most of these families, working in this factory was their livelihood. What will these people do in these economic hardships? We have also heard that new personnel from surrounding provinces will be hired to replace the dismissed workers. If this is true, it is a great injustice. Are the workers being punished for their rightful struggle?"

Since the privatization of ETİ Krom, the workforce has dropped from 7,500 to 1,500, and now the layoffs continue. Once a major source of employment as a state-run enterprise, ETİ Krom faced a strike in July 2024 after refusing to meet workers' demands for salary increases and improved working conditions. The workers’ demands were accepted at the end of the strike.

In a statement, the mayor of the Alacakaya district in eastern Turkey's Elazığ province, Zafer Altınışık, said the layoffs had victimized many families. Altınışık said, "This is a massacre of workers. It is unacceptable for so many people to lose their jobs, especially during such difficult economic times."

He also claimed the workers had been deprived of their rights and added, “It is both sad and concerning that such a situation is happening in an area like Elazığ, which sends minerals around the world. According to our information, over 100 workers have lost their jobs, and most of them are supporting families. We will continue to defend their rights."

Mayor Altınışık also noted that they had previously reported ETİ Krom A.Ş.'s environmentally damaging mining practices to relevant authorities.

He said, "This company has been sustained by Elazığ's resources for years. They are destroying nature and robbing workers of their rights." Altınışık added that the profits from the mine do not contribute to Elazığ, and the local population does not benefit from these resources.

Erhun Karakuş, the provincial chairman of the New Welfare Party (YRP) in Elazığ, commented on the layoffs. Karakuş claimed the layoffs were linked to previous strike actions, stating, "The layoffs seem like a tit-for-tat response."

He also addressed allegations that a region manager had said, "Anyone who speaks up because of the actions will be fired." Karakuş called on the Labor and Social Security Ministry and the Commerce Ministry to protect workers' rights and conduct necessary investigations.

Karakuş also said, "If the company is losing money, the operating rights should be transferred to our government. If it is not losing money, these arbitrary layoffs are being made, and the ministries should conduct inspections in response."

(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)

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