Members of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Public Employees (KESK) have organised into two groups marching to Ankara, the capital of Turkey. They are demanding collective labour agreements from the government.

The group setting off from Gebze, Istanbul, yesterday (13 August), were stopped by police barricades.

Six injured

When the KESK members demanded that the barricades be lifted, the police used tear gas and water cannons. Six trade unionists, among them president of the educational trade union Eğitim-Sen Zübeyde Kılıç, were injured.

After protests by KESK, the police lifted the barricades.

"Fake democracy"

Sami Evren, president of KESK, spoke to the crowd, saying:

"These attacks have shown the fake democracy of the AKP. As public employees, we will never be cowed by such attacks. We will continue our struggle until we have collective labour agreements."

He added that if such an agreement could not be reached, the trade unionists would strike and called on the government "to give up the comedy and farce of the so-called collective meetings, otherwise you will witness the whole country being paralysed by a strike of public employees."

Two groups meet in Ankara

A second branch of KESK members has set off from Diyarbakır. They gathered in the Ahmet Arif Park at 10 am and walked to the Metropolitan Municipality building, shouting slogans. Following a speech by Emirali Şimşek, general secretary of KESK, the buses set off for Ankara.

Today the two groups will meet in Ankara, where collective meetings are planned. (BÇ/AG)

* This news item used information from sendika.org and ozgurradyo.com.

* Photo: sendika.org