A total of 23,000 workers affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) and members of the General-İş Union, employed at subsidiaries of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality (IzBB), launched a seven-day strike beginning on May 28, after a breakdown in collective bargaining negotiations. During the strike, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay and the municipal administration collected garbage themselves, both breaking the strike and using rhetoric that pitted workers against the public. Although the strike ended with a signed agreement that ignored workers’ demands, tensions did not subside. Now, workers affiliated with the Municipal Workers’ Union (Belediye-İş) are being dismissed. Cemil Tugay informed the union in writing that layoffs would begin after failing to reach an agreement with the union in collective bargaining negotiations at the municipality’s companies İZDOĞA, İZULAŞ, and İZBETON. According to the notification sent to the union, nearly 900 workers will be dismissed, with layoffs expected to continue until early July.

Many believe that workers who joined the strike may also be targeted, creating a tense atmosphere where most employees now work under significant anxiety. A worker from Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, who spoke anonymously, said their supervisors have advised them not to even request time off. The same worker noted that many colleagues are deeply worried about being fired.

Despite the end of the strike, threats continue

A worker from the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality described the ongoing situation following the strike in these words: “A strike was organized due to our demand for equal pay for equal work, and because negotiations on our collective agreement had stalled. This demand for equal pay is important because there’s a real imbalance in the wages of municipal employees. Some people doing the exact same job receive very high salaries, while others get paid far too little, so little, in fact, that it causes serious financial hardship. That’s why this demand mattered so much. But that balance was never achieved. A 30% raise was imposed on us, and even after that, Cemil Tugay continues to threaten workers with dismissal. He hasn’t backed down from those threats. Even though the strike is over, he brings up firing workers in almost every speech, regardless of whether it’s relevant or not. Because of this, he continues to face criticism from socially conscious and democratic segments of society.

Unfortunately, these threats are having an impact. Everyone is tense, unhappy, and anxious. A toxic environment has taken over the workplace in every unit. I say every unit because we see it firsthand. For example, we were attending a training on women's human rights. Women from various departments came together for it. The last day of the training was just a few days ago, it was the first time we’d gathered again since the strike. Many of the women there were saying the same thing, because people in their departments had already been fired. Others had been forcibly relocated. For instance, let’s say a worker lives in Menemen and works somewhere nearby. They’ve now been transferred to Urla. That’s just a hypothetical example, of course, but similar things are actually happening. If they can’t fire you outright, they use tactics like this, pressure and harassment, to push you to resign.

The union has been quite passive in all this. Especially since the end of the strike, there hasn’t been a single statement, not from the local branch, not from the general headquarters, not even from the union president. And there’s been a lot of public criticism targeting them too. But they’ve remained silent in the face of it. For example, Cemil Tugay accused the head of Branch No. 2 of having 58 relatives working in the municipality and said they would all be fired. Even in response to that, the branch president didn’t make a personal statement or perhaps couldn’t. İzmir is not a city full of job opportunities. Naturally, this pressure is making people more anxious. And having no alternatives only deepens that anxiety.”

We cannot even go to the doctor

The worker explained that due to ongoing dismissals, supervisors have warned employees not to take any leave. They described the pressure by saying: “Cemil Tugay had already suspended all leave for civil servants until the strike ended. They even tried to make them do the jobs we normally do. For example, because the regular worker responsible for reading water meters was on strike, civil servants were told, ‘You will read the meters until the strike ends.’ So the strike-breaking wasn’t limited to Tugay himself.

On the first day we returned to work after the strike, our supervisors and team leaders told us, ‘Don’t take sick leave, don’t request annual leave, don’t even ask for an hour off. Stay invisible. Because department heads have been asked to submit names. If you draw attention to yourself, you might end up on that list. Don’t put yourself in a position where you’re forced to accept dismissal or forced relocation.’ I was supposed to go to the doctor, but I had to postpone it. The municipality has officially stated that the dismissals will continue until July 4. So until the end of July, the message is: don’t take leave, don’t report sick, don’t be noticed. Right now, no one dares to ask for time off. Some have sick children. Others, like me, are unwell but cannot even go to the doctor. We can’t even go to the doctor.”

He is exercising arbitrary power over workers

The worker concluded their remarks by highlighting the silence from both the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the union, which they said has granted unchecked power to Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay: “Despite everything that is happening, the threats of dismissal and the actual layoffs, the CHP headquarters has taken no steps and made no statements about the situation. The union has remained silent too. This silence only amplifies our anxiety and fear. From what we can see, it also strengthens Cemil Tugay’s hand. He feels like whatever he does, whatever he says, even if he fires people, insults workers, or incites the public against us, there will be no consequences. He’s turned this into a form of arbitrary power.

On top of that, when unions, including ours, present demands during collective bargaining, he frames them as if we’re involved in some sort of corruption scandal. But we haven’t done anything corrupt. We work, we labor, and we’re simply asking for fair compensation. Considering the current economic conditions in the country, we’re struggling to survive below the poverty line. Yet the way it’s portrayed makes it seem as if our demands are completely detached from reality. When the CHP criticizes the AKP for worsening poverty and growing exploitation, it uses the very arguments that reflect our lived experience. But when we, the workers, say ‘we’re going through the same thing,’ our demands are labeled as disconnected from reality. We want this contradiction to be seen.

After the operation targeting Ekrem Imamoğlu, workers in Izmir who supported the CHP on the streets, among them the chair of Branch No. 8 of our union and a female union member, were arrested. These same workers, and the children of working-class families, were the ones who joined student protests. They stood in solidarity with the CHP in the streets against the attack on Imamoğlu. But when it comes to the workers’ demands, the CHP does not stand with us. This has created deep disappointment, especially among CHP-affiliated workers. And that disappointment must be overcome with real political action.”