Tension at Altındağ Municipality Strike: Police Intervene in 125-Day Resistance

Ankara – Police have intervened in a 125-day resistance by the Hizmet-İş Union in front of the Altındağ Municipality. The union's Deputy Chairman, Halil Özdemir, stated that the struggle will continue and that there will be no retreat until the workers are reinstated.

The resistance, which has been ongoing for 125 days for the workers fired from the Altındağ Municipality, was met with a police intervention this morning. The union alleged that the protest tent was dismantled and some workers were assaulted during the intervention. Hizmet-İş Deputy Chairman Halil Özdemir reacted strongly to the events, emphasizing that the struggle will not end and that they will continue their protests with determination until the workers return to their jobs.

The Start of a 125-Day Struggle

In a press statement, Deputy Chairman Halil Özdemir explained that the resistance began 125 days ago during the month of Ramadan, when 49 workers were unjustly fired due to "union pressure, persecution, and threats." This injustice, combined with disagreements over the collective bargaining agreement, escalated the protest into a full-fledged strike. Özdemir stated, “We set up a tent in this protest against injustice. We placed this tent here with permission, entirely within a legal framework.”

Özdemir noted that the sole purpose of the 125-day resistance has been to fight for the rights of their colleagues who "serve the city and were unjustly deprived of their jobs, labor, and livelihoods."

Police Intervention: Union Leaders Allege Assault and Seizure of Materials

Özdemir stated that the intervention was carried out without any justification, despite an earlier agreement with law enforcement to set up the protest tent in the morning and take it down at night. Özdemir described the events in these words: “Without any reason, our resistance tent was dismantled by security forces. Our friends were beaten. Our tent and materials were confiscated. They literally confined us like an animal in a cage. They surrounded us and took us inside.”

Özdemir also mentioned that one of their colleagues was taken to the hospital by ambulance. He expressed his outrage, stating, “Where HAK-İŞ and Hizmet-İş are, there is a struggle, not a conflict. We are a union that is in love with our nation. Despite this, is this what we deserved?”

The Fight Will Continue: A Message of Defiance

At the end of his press statement, Deputy Chairman Halil Özdemir emphasized that the struggle will not end under any circumstances. Delivering a message of determination, he said, "This struggle will not end here! We will be here again Monday morning," and defiantly challenged the authorities: "We will come even if you beat us. We will come even if you fire gas. We will come even if you use water cannons. We will be here until the workers are reinstated."

Özdemir accused the Altındağ Municipality of "persecuting workers" and stated, "They are kicking the Turkish flag, tearing up the tent, taking workers in and beating them. Why is no one seeing this?" He concluded his speech by stating that the HAK-İŞ Confederation and its nearly one million members stand with the fired workers.

In addition to Özdemir, Hizmet-İş Vice Presidents İdris Ersoy and Celal Yıldız, Secretary General Oğuz Aksoy, Ankara Branch Presidents, and a large number of workers attended the statement.