Despite all the reactions, the sacking of workers by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) administration continues. A new one was added to the workers who were unlawfully dismissed by the IMM administration, which started a witch hunt within its own body after the Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu declared that there were "557 terrorists in IMM".

Durmuş Savaş, who works as a cleaning worker in an affiliate of the IMM, said that he was fired without compensation under Code 49 on 18 August 2022, on the grounds of a Security Investigation and Archive Research conducted and concluded by the Istanbul Governor's Office.

Savaş spoke to ANF and said that a lawsuit that resulted in non-prosecution in 1997 was cited as the reason for dismissal.

Fired for an old lawsuit resulting in non-prosecution

Explaining that he has been working as a cleaning worker at Boğaziçi Facility Management Service Company affiliated to the IBB for 5 and a half months, Savaş said that he was fired on the grounds of a lawsuit filed against him 25 years ago and resulted in non-prosecution. According to the temporary 35th article added to Decree Law No. 375 with Law No. 7145, he was dismissed on 18 August 2022 by order of the Istanbul Governor's Office.

Learning on the phone that he was fired, Savaş said: “When I went to talk to the personnel manager to understand the situation, he told me that I was fired on the grounds of a lawsuit filed in 1995. Although I told him that I was in the military in 1995, he said that the governor's office sent them a letter. He dismissed me, humiliating me, saying that my job was in their hands."

Stating that a file opened against him when he was in the Revolutionary Communist League of Turkey (TİKB) in 1997, Savaş said: “After my military service, I was detained by the police while I was sitting in a cafe in Gazi Mahallesi. At the TEM branch of the Vatan Istanbul Security Directorate, where I was taken at that time, I was forced to sign a statement about actions I did not commit. I was tortured for hours, with the worst forms of torture. I was sent to prison even though I declared that I gave a statement under torture in the court where I was brought out in slippers because I couldn't wear my shoes, so swollen were my feet. I remained in prison for nine months and then I was released.”

Stating that the case resulted in non-prosecution and expired, Savaş pointed out that he was dismissed on the grounds of a lawsuit that no longer exists.

Moreover, pointing out that the lawsuit was filed in 1997, not 1995, Savaş noted that a lawsuit that does not exist today cannot be taken as an excuse for dismissal, and, moreover, without compensation under Code 49.

We slept on ballot boxes to ensure there was no fraud in the election

Emphasizing that the administration is openly sacrificing the workers, Savaş said: “We slept on the ballot boxes so that President Ekrem could win. At that time of the elections, I could not go to my house for 15 days so that the votes would not be stolen. In other words, we don’t deserve to be treated like this.”

Underlining that his wife suffers from sclerosis and was punished by him unnecessarily, Savaş said that he will fight until he gets his rights recognised.