ESKISEHIR, Turkey
Hundreds of workers at the Ford Otosan’s plant in Eskisehir province have resigned from the Turkish Metal Labor Union because it failed to defend their rights, the workers’ spokesman said Tuesday.
"As of today, 1,032 people have resigned from the Turkish Metal Union. The union has no authority from now on in our factory," spokesman Ismail Demirbas said.
Workers at the plant have been on strike since Monday and demand the withdrawal of the union from their workplace for allegedly favoring employers instead of workers during labor agreement talks.
Turkish carmaker Ford Otosan said in a statement Monday that the ongoing strike was on the verge of harming the automobile industry, urging its employees to resume negotiations while continuing production.
The company pledged that it would fire no one as long as the workers resumed work, and vowed to deliver a 1,000-lira ($384) premium for each worker in ongoing talks with workers’ representatives.
Workers at the company’s Golcuk and Yenikoy plants went on strike last week but manufacturing operations resumed Thursday night, Ford Otosan said in a stock exchange filing last Friday.
