Turkish Metal Union (Birleşik Metal-İş) Members at Smart Solar Go on Strike! Employer Imposes Poverty Wage Despite High Profits

GEBZE – Members of the Birleşik Metal-İş Union at the Smart Solar Factory in Gebze initiated a strike on October 22, 2025, after the 2nd Term Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations failed due to the employer's uncompromising stance. The union announced that the employer's offer of only a net 3,000 TL increase for the first six months, coupled with the refusal of a welfare share (refah payı), was completely detached from the workers' economic reality and the skyrocketing cost of living.

In a press release, the Union General Executive Board severely criticized the employer, stating that while the company is expanding by opening new factories in Izmir with high profits from the Gebze facility, it sees fit to offer the workers who created this wealth only crumbs. With rents consuming up to 70% of workers' income in the Gebze area and education costs rising by over 100%, the union emphasized that the workers' demand is a minimum requirement for survival. The union reaffirmed its commitment to democratic and transparent unionism, vowing to stand behind the Smart Solar workers until a fair CBA is signed.