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We are 250 workers of the textile company Turkuaz/Çakil. This company is subcontracted by and sews for several multinational companies like Reebok, Street-One, Pepe Jeans, French Connection, Chevignon, Banana Republic. Our monthly salaries are well below the poverty level: only 210 euros. And we are paid this misery for working 10 hours each day and during the whole week, including the weekends. As if this isn’t enough, we are permanently insulted by the managers of the company. Impulsed by these miserable conditions, somewhat two months ago we began to unite our protest and to affiliate to the trade union TEKSIF (Textile Workers Trade Union, affiliated to ICFTU). But the boss was afraid of our unity and our fight, and he decided to close the company to prevent the trade union to enter to the plant. Now he wants to dismiss all of us. They are arguing that the factory is in crisis. This is a lie. Reebok has charged to our plant plenty of work. The aim of the boss is to keep on manufacturing in a different company, which also belongs to him. We have the democratic and legal right to be member of any trade-union. We want to use our right. We want to work, we want to produce. We will continue with our trade unionization struggle till we win. We call out to patrons Oguz Öktem and Sabih Eler: Don’t play with the future of hundreds of workers! Don’t prevent our right to work and to be member in a union. We invite all national and international trade unions, democratic institutions, political parties and every worker to support us and to protest Reebok and Turkuaz/Çakil. Long Live Unity of Workers / Long Live Class Solidarity
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