Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, who was detained within the scope of operations against CHP municipalities, especially Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, was subsequently arrested on March 19. After Şahan was suspended from office, Şişli Municipality came under trustee management.
While working conditions, job changes and dismissals in the municipality were frequently the subject of discussion during the trustee administration, the most recent termination of the employment contracts of 8 workers, 7 of whom were women, caused a reaction.
While the laid-off workers started a resistance in front of the municipality, DİSK Genel-İş and YENİ Party Şişli District Organization also joined the protest and supported the workers.
In the statement made in front of the municipality, the workers claimed that they were faced with pressure, mobbing and constant job changes during the trustee administration period while demanding their reinstatement.
'SAVINGS WERE MADE ON WORKERS'
Speaking in the statement, DİSK General-İş representative reacted to the practices during the trustee administration period.
The union representative, who argued that the savings policy was carried out mainly through the workers after the trustee administration took office, said that the employees' workplaces and titles were changed and their working lives were intervened.
Claiming that pressure and mobbing were applied on the workers, the representative said, "Trustee policies generally preferred to make savings on the workers. There were interventions in the working lives of the workers, intense pressure and mobbing were applied."
The union representative argued that the practices against workers were not limited to job changes only, and claimed that union managers and employees were also kept under pressure.
THE DUTIES OF WOMEN WORKERS HAVE BEEN CHANGED
Stating that the dismissed female employees had previously worked in different units, the union representative said that the workers were later sent to the Cleaning Affairs Directorate.
Stating that the job descriptions of female workers have been changed, the representative stated that the employees were assigned to street cleaning and sweeping for approximately four months.
Reacting to the working conditions, the union representative said, "Our female friends had neither changing rooms nor rest rooms. They had to use different areas even to undress. They were made to work under very harsh conditions for about four months."
The representative stated that they, as the union, conveyed the situation to the management and said that it was not right for female employees to be assigned in this way.
'THOSE CLOSE TO AKP AND MHP RETURNED TO THEIR OLD POSITIVES'
DİSK Genel-İş representative also claimed that discrimination was made between employees during job changes.
Claiming that some employees were returned to their former positions thanks to their political connections, the representative said, "Among our female friends who left, those who were close to AKP or had a relationship through MHP were returned to their former positions. Our other friends were constantly assigned to other directorates."
The union representative said that other workers were sent to different directorates at short intervals and argued that this practice turned into a policy of intimidation.
'WE WILL NOT bow to pressure'
The union representative stated that the workers reacted to the latest assignments and said:
"We said that we would no longer bow to this pressure and blackmail. We said that we would resist when we were fired to protect our jobs, our food and our bread. We are doing this here today."
Reminding that three employees who were previously dismissed from the municipality returned to work as a result of the struggle, the representative argued that this resistance would also yield results.
The representative said, "We will win by resisting in this process, just as our three friends who were expelled before won by resisting," and added, "We will not surrender to this oppressive and blackmailing mentality in Şişli."
During the protest, workers shouted slogans such as "The trustees will leave, we will stay" and "We will not bow to blackmail and pressure in Şişli."
'I WAS TOLD I'D BE FIRED IF I DON'T SIGN'
One of the dismissed female workers explained the process she experienced in the municipality.
The female worker, who said that she did not want to accept the document regarding the change of duty, claimed that she was told that her employment contract would be terminated if she did not sign it.
The female worker said, "When I read the document three times and said 'I do not want this', it was personally declared to me that my employment right would be terminated. So I had to sign it."
The worker, who stated that he and his three female colleagues worked as street cleaners for about four months, stated that they were later told that they would be given new positions.
'I SIT IN AN EMPTY KITCHEN FOR TWO MONTHS'
The female worker explained that although some employees were transferred to different units in a short time, she was waiting for a new assignment for a long time.
The worker said, "Some of our friends' letters were issued. In fact, some of them were issued a reassignment letter every three days. I, on the other hand, sat in an empty kitchen in the Cleaning Affairs Directorate for two months, waiting for this process."
The female worker, who stated that she was called by Kentyol Company after working hours last week, said that she was informed on the phone that her employment contract had ended.
'THEY SAID WE CANNOT EXPLAIN THE REASONS'
Stating that she asked for the reason for termination but did not receive any explanation, the female worker described the meeting as follows:
"Kentyol Company called me and told me that my employment rights had been terminated. When I asked, 'What is the reason?', they said, 'We cannot explain this, your employment rights have been terminated' and hung up the phone."
The female worker said that she could not find anyone who would listen to her and that is why they started the resistance together with other employees.
Dismissed workers stated that they will continue their struggle in front of Şişli Municipality until they are reinstated.
