METAL WORKERS TO STORM GEBZE: Birleşik Metal-İş Issues Historic Rally Call for December 21st

⚡ "We Won't Yield to Poverty Wages and Tax Injustice": Industrial Hub Gebze Braces for Massive Labor Protest

GEBZE, TURKEY – Gebze, the industrial heartland of Turkey, is preparing for a landmark labor mobilization. Özkan Atar, General President of the Birleşik Metal-İş (United Metal Workers' Union), has officially called for a massive regional rally on Sunday, December 21. The protest aims to bring the metal workers' resistance against "poverty wages" and the national economic squeeze to the streets.

⚖️ "Justice in Income, Justice in Taxes!"

In a powerful statement shared via social media, Atar addressed the public and all labor allies, demanding a fair tax system for the 2026 budget. He criticized the current system for "stripping workers' earnings slice by slice" through unfair tax brackets.

"We will raise our voices to the highest level to ensure the minimum wage is set at a humanly livable level and to prevent our hard-earned labor from being plundered by capital groups through tax amnesties and interest payments," Atar declared.

⛓️ Response to MESS's "Poverty Imposition"

Focusing on the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement (TİS) process in the metal sector, Atar reacted fiercely to the offers made by the employers' union, MESS. Accusing MESS of imposing "misery wages" and attacking acquired labor rights, Atar called on all metal workers and their families to fill the squares to repel these assaults.

✊ A Call for Solidarity: "Shoulder to Shoulder"

The invitation for the rally extended beyond the metal industry. Özkan Atar invited all segments of society to join the struggle:

• Unions and Political Parties: Encouraged to join the democratic struggle.

• Civic Organizations: Called for support against exploitation.

• Youth, Women, and Retirees: Invited to stand together for a democratic and free country.

📍 Rally Schedule & Details

The program for the December 21st action in Gebze is as follows:

• Assembly & March: 1:00 PM – Gebze Trafo Square

• Main Rally: 2:00 PM – Gebze City Square (Kent Meydanı)