Workers do not leave closed plant

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

Glass sector workers are protesting the closure of an Istanbul facility. DHA photo

The workers’ protest against the shutdown of Şişecam Holding’s plant in the Topkapı district of Istanbul continued yesterday, the tenth day of protests.

Protests began at the end of December 2012 after workers learnt that the plant was going to shut down. Şişecam Holding announced on Dec. 31, 2012 the closing of the plant, the laying off of its 250 workers, and its move to the Central Anatolian province of Eskişehir.

The Kristal-İş Union is demanding the workers’ internal transfer to the plant in Eskişehir or the other Şişecam plants in Istanbul and the maintenance of all their acquired rights, and have not been able to reach an agreement with executives.

The protests have received support from some political parties. Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Süleyman Çelebi pointed out that Şişecam had ten plants and that internal transfers could solve the problem. He said he believed the workers would eventually obtain their rights. Alper Taş, co-president of the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP), said his party would continue to support Şişecam workers until they achieved their goals.

The workers’ families and other Şişecam plants’ workers also came to the protest in support of their relatives, causing the areas to become more crowded and a number of workers to climb onto roofs for attention.