Employers’ association in metal sector declares lockout

ISTANBUL

The Turkish Employers’ Association of Metal Industries (MESS) has announced that it took a lockout decision after the labor union Türk Metal decided to go on strike as the parties failed to resolve disagreements.

The date of the lockout will be determined at a later stage, MESS said in a statement on Jan. 22.

This week, MESS revised its wage increase offer to 10 percent from a previous 8 percent, but Türk Metal rejected the proposal.

The collective bargaining talks cover nearly 200 companies, including listed carmakers Ford Otosan, Otokar, Tofaş and Türk Traktor, as well as home appliances maker Arçelik, and 130,000 workers in the industry.

Negotiations are still in progress to sign the collective labor agreement, the companies listed on Borsa Istanbul said yesterday in separate filings.

Member companies annually contribute some $30 billion to the Turkish economy, according to MESS.

Those companies account for 39 percent of the exports of the local manufacturing industry and generate around 25 percent of the sector’s total revenue, the employers’ association said.