Tobacco workers are resisting against neoliberal policies in Ankara

The reflections of the General Agreement on Trade of Services or GATS augmented in our daily lives. Contract based work, performance based payment and temporary working schedules, insecurity and unemployment are some of the results of GATS.

Since more than two months tobacco workers of recently privatized Factory of Turkish Monopoly of Tobacco and Alcohol Products (TEKEL) are resisting against neoliberal policies and insecure working which were forced by the government. After the privatization of TEKEL Factories the government made a legal arrangement. This arrangement is made in order to employ the unemployed workers of privatized factories as temporary staff. The workers are no more called as workers they called as temporary staff. They can work only 4-10 months a year, they loose their social rights. They can not become a member of any union because they are neither public servants nor workers. The government forces a contemporary slavery to the TEKEL workers.

by Feride Aksu

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