Mayor dismisses employees’ claims
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Åžafak Timur
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 23, 2008 00:00
ISTANBUL- Claims that three employees from Kadıköy Municipality Health Polyclinic were laid off because of their trade union activities have been rejected by the mayor of Istanbul’s Kadıköy, Selami Öztürk. The claims regarding the dismissals had come from the Dev Sağlık İş trade union.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Öztürk said the dismissals had occurred because AtaÅŸehir, under the authority of Kadıköy, would become a new district with a separate municipality and this had caused the Kadıköy municipality to reduce staff and spending.Â
"It is not just one worker from the Kadıköy municipality that has been laid off," Öztürk said, "We are downsizing by one-third... We buy cleaning services from a company and we have 600 workers. We may only need 400 after March. So one-third of personnel will be laid off there," Öztürk said. The mayor also said dismissals would continue gradually.
The allegations of the trade union and the dismissed workers, however, are different. Songül Kalkan, who worked in the purchasing department of the polyclinic, said everything started with Murat Akçınar, a retired dentist who worked in the dental health center of the municipality. In November, Akçınar was laid off just an hour and a half after the clinic administration discovered he had organized a meeting with workers in the center to tell them about the trade union, Kalkan said.
Asiye Yetkiner, however, said Suphi Bingöl, the manager of the municipality’s KASDAŞ Company, which owns the clinic, phoned her and asked her whether it was true that trade union activity went on. Yetkiner said when Bingöl learned there was trade union activity, he told her that deputy mayor, Mustafa Demircan, was disappointed. "He told me he hoped I would not have any problems because of this, and then two hours later I learned I had been dismissed." Yetkiner said.
Workers and the trade union have also said claims the municipality was diminishing in size were incorrect. "The bid with KASDAÅž was renewed on Dec. 4, and in the new bid my position as purchase specialist still exists," Kalkan said. Yetkiner also said her position remained in the renewed bid.
Prior meeting
Arzu Çerkezoğlu, the head of Dev Sağlık İş trade union, said the dismissals occurred just one day after a meeting they had with Mayor Selami Öztürk, who was positive about the trade union organization. Mayor Öztürk confirmed the meeting had occurred. Öztürk, however, said the trade union used his name. "(The trade union said) I had told everyone to become a trade union member. They should not use me," he said. The mayor also said the trade union did not have the authority to collectively bargain.
The trade union has 38 members in the clinic that employs 45 people, according to Çerkezoğlu’s information. Although the majority of workers have become members, Dev Sağlık İş is not able to collectively bargain as the number of members is below the country’s threshold.
"It is not just one worker from the Kadıköy municipality that has been laid off," Öztürk said, "We are downsizing by one-third... We buy cleaning services from a company and we have 600 workers. We may only need 400 after March. So one-third of personnel will be laid off there," Öztürk said. The mayor also said dismissals would continue gradually.
The allegations of the trade union and the dismissed workers, however, are different. Songül Kalkan, who worked in the purchasing department of the polyclinic, said everything started with Murat Akçınar, a retired dentist who worked in the dental health center of the municipality. In November, Akçınar was laid off just an hour and a half after the clinic administration discovered he had organized a meeting with workers in the center to tell them about the trade union, Kalkan said.
Asiye Yetkiner, however, said Suphi Bingöl, the manager of the municipality’s KASDAŞ Company, which owns the clinic, phoned her and asked her whether it was true that trade union activity went on. Yetkiner said when Bingöl learned there was trade union activity, he told her that deputy mayor, Mustafa Demircan, was disappointed. "He told me he hoped I would not have any problems because of this, and then two hours later I learned I had been dismissed." Yetkiner said.
Workers and the trade union have also said claims the municipality was diminishing in size were incorrect. "The bid with KASDAÅž was renewed on Dec. 4, and in the new bid my position as purchase specialist still exists," Kalkan said. Yetkiner also said her position remained in the renewed bid.
Prior meeting
Arzu Çerkezoğlu, the head of Dev Sağlık İş trade union, said the dismissals occurred just one day after a meeting they had with Mayor Selami Öztürk, who was positive about the trade union organization. Mayor Öztürk confirmed the meeting had occurred. Öztürk, however, said the trade union used his name. "(The trade union said) I had told everyone to become a trade union member. They should not use me," he said. The mayor also said the trade union did not have the authority to collectively bargain.
The trade union has 38 members in the clinic that employs 45 people, according to Çerkezoğlu’s information. Although the majority of workers have become members, Dev Sağlık İş is not able to collectively bargain as the number of members is below the country’s threshold.