The Turkish company Enpay, which manufactures electric power transformers and transformer components for multinationals ABB, Alstöm, Schneider and Siemens sacked 65 workers in July 2015 after they started to join Birlesik Metal-Is, the United Metalworkers’ Union.
Industriall Global Union twice urged Enpay management to stop anti-union aggression and reinstate dismissed workers. However, despite a reply from the company stating that Enpay was acting in compliance with national law and international labour norms, the sackings continued.
When a large proportion of the workforce joining Birlesik and elected their own worker representatives, Enpay dismissed 11 union members on 13 July, a further 12 on 20 July for joining demonstrations calling for reinstatement, and now a total of 65. All of the elected worker representatives were sacked.
Workers’ protests against management violations have included work stoppages, pickets, and sit-in demonstrations. The company applied to the public prosecutor claiming that the work stoppage was illegal, but the claim was rejected and opening a court case was refused.
On Sunday 26 July, police arrested workers and the local president of Birlesik Metal-Is in Kocaeli for simply assembling peacefully in front of the factory. They were released in the evening of the same day.