Karabağlar Municipality Workers on Standing: "Promised, but Salaries Still Not Paid!"

İZMİR - Hundreds of municipal workers in Izmir's Karabağlar district have raised the flag of rebellion over the non-payment of their retroactive receivables and salaries for months. Despite all the promises and negotiations, the continued victimization pushed the workers to stage a sit-in in front of the municipality building. The laborers expressed their reaction against being blamed for the economic distress of the municipal administration.

Strong message with sit-in in front of the municipality

The workers gathered in front of the municipality building in the morning, chanting "We want our salaries!" and "Give us our rights!". The workers staged a sit-in with placards in their hands and reacted to being deprived of their basic livelihood despite the disruption of municipal services. It is stated that the long-standing wage crisis has put workers and their families in a serious economic bottleneck.

Addressing the workers inside the municipality building before the demonstration, Savaş Aras, the head of the General-Labor Union Branch No. 5, emphasized that the management did not fulfill the promises it had previously made to them. Aras said, "We had a meeting. We were told that the salary would be paid in full. When we talk about these things, they say we are showing off. Representative friends are also victims. There are facts here. What do you want us to do, storm the parliamentary meeting?", clearly showing the desperation of the unionized workers and the possibility of further escalation of their protests. These words were interpreted as an indication that the union and workers had lost patience.

The Causes Behind the Crisis and the Role of the Government

The salary crisis in Karabağlar Municipality is believed to be the result of the general economic difficulties faced by municipalities. Inadequate central budget allocations for local governments, economic fluctuations and rising costs have left many municipalities struggling to pay workers' salaries. However, workers argue that they should not pay the price for this situation and that their basic livelihood rights should be guaranteed.

Genel-İş Union is determined to protect the rights of workers not only in Karabağlar Municipality, but in all municipalities facing similar situations. Union officials say that violations of collective labor agreements and legal rights are unacceptable, and that workers must be paid for their hard work on time and in full. After the action, it is eagerly awaited to see whether the authorities will sit down with the workers again and find a permanent solution. The workers also expressed their determination to continue their protests until the problem is solved.

source: universal.net