Dairy company workers’ strike halted by gendarmerie, union official detained

ISTANBUL

DHA Photo

A three-month-long strike by workers from Turkey’s largest dairy producer, Sütaş, was halted by the intervention of gendarmerie officials July 8, following a request from the company.

Officers from the gendarmerie have asked workers protesting the discharges at the company to stop their sit-in in front of the factory in Bursa’s Karacabey district. The intervention came after officials from the company asked the authorities to not let workers continue their strike in front of the facility. 

A senior official from the Tek Gıda İş Union was also detained during the gendarmerie intervention.

The strike at the company drew considerable attention on June 1 to allegations that excrement from cows was discharged in a field in which the strikers were organizing a demonstration and sparked huge outcry.

The scandal prompted company head Muharrem Yılmaz to resign from his position as the head of Turkey’s most vocal business group, the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD).

Yılmaz confirmed the incident, but denied it had been intentional. He also faced claims that dismissed workers were fired for their union membership.