The workers of the chain markets opened in almost every street under the AKP rule are forced to do everything because there is no job description, and most of them are made to work below the minimum wage.

Store and market workers, who had to do everything because there was no job description, and were forced to do long working hours and tiring jobs, started to organize in the Store and Market Workers' Union (Magaza-Market-Sen) in 2020.

Store-Market-Sen manager Nebil Sarıkaya told ANF about the problems experienced by market workers and the work of the union.

Sarıkaya said that the union was established to create a basis for the workers to raise their voices against the problems they are experiencing. “We should not forget that the working class is right next to us, not just in the factories and workshops. In every street and corner of the city, there are people working behind those garish windows in chain markets, the number of which is increasing every day. The purpose of the establishment of our union is to expose the many injustices that those workers are subjected to and to give an organized struggle.”

No job description

The market employees do not have any job descriptions, and therefore they have to work from cleaning to aisle line-up, from looking at the cash register to being a store manager, said Sarıkaya, adding that they destroyed all the jobs for a small number of workers in the markets and stores due to the bosses' greed for profit.

Sarıkaya continued: “The workers are held responsible for all the work in the store. Bosses continue to add profit to their own profits by reducing the number of employees in the stores. In markets where there is no control, the safety of workers is ignored. Workers are forced to work overtime and are not compensated in any way. Lunch and rest breaks are unfortunately not properly granted. They scare workers with unemployment and sentence them to minimum wage.”

Growing the organized struggle

Sarıkaya said that in the capitalist system, workers are in slavery and that even the right to life is not protected. He added: “We are trying to enlarge the organized struggle of the market workers. A year ago, the workers who did not accept the wage increase in ŞOK markets were organized in our union. As a result of the struggle, they made the bosses take a step back and forced them to increase their wages. Another example was experienced last year when we lost Muhammet Ali Yaşar, who was forced to open the store alone on the A101 and, as a result of the fire that broke out in the electrical panel, died. The workers decided to take action. We all went there together, protesting the death. Market workers defended the rights of their colleagues to the end. The people of the neighbourhood also supported our action. We've had many examples like these."

A common fight for common problems

Sarıkaya said that the problems are common in both chain markets and stores, and that, therefore, the struggle is a common struggle. He added: “We are fighting for the welfare of the working class and the opportunity to work in better conditions. All the workers are fighting for it. Unionization and organized struggle are indispensable. In this respect, we invite all store and market workers to become members of Mağaza Market-Sen. Together we will increase the struggle. Together we will change this system of exploitation.”