Swatch workers in Turkey go on strike
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Swatch workers in Turkey go on strike
Employees of 16 Swatch branches in Turkey have been on strike since Monday. This was announced by the trade unions. The protest comes after months of fruitless negotiations between the Swiss company and the trade union Koop-Is.
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Koop-Is represents, according to its own figures, between 150 and 170 employees of Swatch-Shops and Omega branches, as well as offices in Istanbul. The strike started on Monday morning. A Swatch spokesman, contacted by the financial news agency AWP, would not comment on the consequences.
According to the trade unions, Swatch has proposed wage increases some of which are well below the inflation in Turkey, such as 25% for sales staff and 5%-15% for office workers.
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The company considers the demands “unrealistic and completely exaggerated”. The group works in compliance with all international and national standards and will continue to do so, it stressed.
The union is demanding retroactive increases from April 2024, more job security and fair access to bonuses and social benefits. “Our fight will continue until every employee receives respect and fair treatment,” said Koop-Is president Eyüp Alemdar, according to a position statement posted on Instagram.
Translated from Italian by DeepL/ts
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