The Report about the New Resistance in DESA

TURKEY | 23 – 01 – 2011 | Our Union is determinant in continuing the struggle to organize DESA workers despite the aggressive attitude of the administration. DESA is a well known brand in Turkey having stores in Turkey and Europe. DESA is also working together with PRADA, MULBERRY and SAMSONITE.

As a result of the international campaign many international brands such as El Cortes Ingles, Marks and Spencer cut off their orders from DESA, many actions were organized in Turkey and Europe and the boss signed a protocol with the Union and accepted Union as a social partner and declared that he would not make pressure over the workers. The Court also gave a decision that workers had been fired because of being Union members and ordered DESA to reinstate them or pay indemnity.

However DESA refuses to implement the protocol. There is a systematic pressure over member workers and there is a usage of unregistered home based workers and child labor in Duzce and Sefakoy.

We are having a better organizational power in Duzce factory. We have been recruiting new members in Duzce factory and workers began to resist collectively against all kinds of mobbing and other pressures. However we could not have support from the Sefakoy factory. Therefore our Union gave more importance to reach to the workers in Sefakoy factory and we have been recruiting new members in Sefakoy for a while.

However DESA learned these activities and because of the long and detailed legal procedures to be a member (registering to the notary etc), DESA administration tried to stop this movement before it emerges and forced these workers to resign. On Monday (17.01.2011) the boss (Melih Celet) and 5 other top level personnel of the administration called all these workers one by one to their offices and force them to leave the job and offered them money. They knew that if workers were fired before being members, the Union would not continue its activities and workers could not demand for their rights afterwards.

Altogether 11 workers were fired on Monday. The names of the workers are Bora Dursunoglu, Nevzat Ulku, Hakan Kaytan, Muzeyyen Kaytan, Ibrahim Yasa, Volkan Yasa, Sadik Sahin, Murat Ozalp, Mustafa Oncel, Bulent Tasdemir and Omer ….

DESA also fired relatives of our member

One of our members, Bora Dursunoglu had been working with some of his relatives (uncles and aunts) in DESA Sefakoy. He was threatened that if he refuses to leave the job, all of his relatives also would be fired. Bora Dursunoglu insisted on being member of the Union and did not leave the job. Therefore his 2 uncles (Ibrahim Yasa and Volkan Yasa) and his aunt (Muzeyyen Kaytan) and his aunt’s husband (Hakan Kaytan) were fired however these workers had not known anything about the Union activities and they were not our members at that day.

In Turkey, it is a common issue that workers are fired because of being Union members however with this case; DESA began to fire “potential” members and relatives of our members as a sign of brutality.

DESA forced to sign document and threatened families of members

DESA administration called all these workers one by one to their offices. In that meeting, Melih Celet (boss), the manager of the factory, Hamdi Paramyok (the human resources officer) Kaya Yavuz (The Chief of the Workers) and Kazım İnce (The Chief of Workers) forced workers to sign a document that workers accept to leave the job voluntarily, offered money. 3 workers refused to sign, some of them accepted the offer and there are 4 workers who had signed under pressure however they are participating to the resistance.

DESA also calls parents of some workers to force their children to leave the job. The parents of Volkan Yasa and Omer … (student) do not let workers to join to the resistance. DESA administration told their parents that if their children insist on membership, they even would not find a job in another company.

Oppression towards the workers

DESA is well aware that they can not force workers to work irregularly and could not treat arbitrarily in Duzce factory as a result of the collective and organized stance of our members. They are frightened of spreading this “problem” to Sefakoy factory, so they would continue irregular working conditions and arbitrary rules. But they could not succeed in this, because all of these workers did not accept to leave the job, united with their Union.

As a consequence of the harsh working conditions, there is uneasiness inside the factory. Workers are disturbed because their friends were fired. In order to stop the uneasiness, there is pressure over workers. Workers are not permitted to visit resisting workers. Security guards do not let workers who tried to come closer to us and talk with us. There are so many cameras recording everything in resistance. Despite these pressures, many workers show their support with different ways. We condemn this fascistic, oppressive attitude towards workers.

The Basic Problems in Sefakoy

The most crucial issue about Sefakoy is the usage of child labor. There are 35-40 children under the age of 18 that are called “students” (but not in reality) and these children are forced to work 5 days until 9-10 pm and they don’t have insurance. They are not registered. DESA send them to a vocational training on Saturdays but in weekdays they work as adult workers.

According to the laws, children can not be forced to work over hours and secondly, even students with vocational training have to be registered and should have insurance.

Workers are working until 10-11 pm but they can not take their over work payments properly. They also work on Saturdays.

Workers do not get proper wages. Even a worker who has been working for over 15 years could earn about only 750 TL (350 Euros) per month, just a little above the minimum wage. (630 TL)

The sick workers can not get proof of conveyance easily. Doctor does not have an authority and asks permission of the chiefs of the workers. Muzeyyen Kaytan (one of the fired workers) has brain tumor and when she felt herself very bad, she couldn’t take permission, doctor only suggested antispasmodic medicines, DESA refused to call ambulance and workers had to call a taxi to take her to the hospital.

The quality of lunch and dinner is very low and insufficient.

Workers can not enjoy their social rights.

Calumniation towards our Union

There is a systematic calumniation towards our Union. Boss told workers that he gave tones of gold to the Union in order to stop recruiting members.

Additionally, for the case of Emine Arslan, our Union had to give the membership list to the Court and the lawyer of DESA copied these lists and showed them to workers in order to “prove” that the Union sold out the workers and gave its membership list.

We condemn this anti-Union stance and lies of the DESA administration.

Our Demands

Our Union is a struggling Union which dedicates itself to the promotion of the basic rights of the workers. We continue our resistance in Grup Suni Deri (Corlu) despite the physical attacks towards our members, we insist on organizational activities in Yesil Kundura (Corlu) despite various types of oppression and we continue recruitment campaign in DESA-Duzce company despite the discriminatory polices and psychological tortures towards our members. Our resistance in DESA-Sefakoy would also continue until we have right of collective bargaining.

Our immediate demands are the full implementation of the protocol and reinstating of the fired workers.

We demand for urgent international support and solidarity from all pro-labor organizations. We should force over the brands and DESA collectively to accept basic rights of workers.

Thank you

Musa Servi

President