Labor Slaughter Continues at Beko: 55 More Workers Dismissed at Eskisehir Plant

The slaughter of workers continues at the refrigerator factory of Beko, a Koç Holding subsidiary, in Eskişehir. Following the dismissal of more than 100 workers in May, 55 workers have now been laid off for various reasons. The factory management cited "absenteeism," "use of reports" and "low performance scores" as excuses for the layoffs. However, unions and workers claim that these justifications are really a cover and that the main reason is to prevent union organizing and reduce costs.

Behind the Scenes of Layoffs: Are Trade Union Rights the Target?

The vast majority of the dismissed workers were involved in or supported union organizing efforts within the factory. This strengthens claims that the dismissals were too organized and deliberate to be explained by individual reasons such as "absenteeism" or "poor performance". Workers say that even people who have been working for Beko for many years and have no performance problems were suddenly dismissed. This situation leads to criticism that the employer violates union rights and disregards job security. A dismissed worker said, "I have worked for this factory for years, I did not have a single absence. However, when I became unionized, absenteeism suddenly became an excuse."

Crisis Bills Workers

So deeply affected by the economic crisis, Koç Holding is allegedly trying to reduce labor costs in order to protect its profit margins. It is claimed that the layoffs are part of this strategy. This situation brings with it comments that capital is passing the bill to the workers in order to overcome the crisis. Concerns have also been expressed that the dismissal of workers could lead to disruptions in production, while the working environment in the factory has become increasingly tense.

Reaction from Trade Unions and Lawyers

The Turkish Metal Union and other related unions reacted strongly to these layoffs at Beko. Union officials announced that they would meet with the employer and initiate legal proceedings for the reinstatement of the workers. Legal experts also stated that the employer's grounds for dismissal were against the law and violated union rights, and called on the workers to file a lawsuit for reinstatement.

Source: universal.net