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Excessive overtime:
The main complaint of workers is excessive overtime. Workers often start work in the morning at 8.00 work until the next morning and, without going home, continue work until that evening, working 36 hour shifts. This is not an exception, but a regular occurance. Up to three days a week, they force workers to work all night and then to continue their regular work the following day. That means working 36-40 hours without a break. There are some workers who record 220 hours overtime each month. According to Turkish labour law the yearly limit for overtime is 270 hours).
Their overtime is often not recorded in their pay slips. For example workers might do 144 hours as actual OT but this will be shown as 8-9 hour in their pay slips. They have to sign a paper that declare that they do 8-9 hours OT.
Poverty wages:
In Düzce workers work for the minimum wage. In Turkey the minimum wage is estimated to be between 28 -48% of what is needed for basic standard of living. There are arbitrary additions to the salaries and the principal of equal wage for the equal work is often not applied. A number of workers are not covered by health insurance, as the company is not providing or paying for it.
The meals given in the factory are very poor quality so most workers buy food from outside, an additional expense to their already meagre salaries.
No holiday/maternity/sick pay
Workers are denied permission for leave for any circumstances including familiy deaths, births or illness. Maternity leave is not granted and no facilities are provided for nursing mothers or daycare. Many have to quit work to look after their children. If workers complain or object they are threatened with dismissal.
Lack of sanitation/drinking water
According to the union the factory is not following the necessary health and safety regulations, leading to health problems for a number of workers. Common complaints include pains in the feet and back/waist, varicose veins , dyspnea (lung and breathing problems). There is no ventilation at Sefaköy factory – a particular problem given the kinds of chemicals used in their work.
Workers also complain there are not enough toilets provided for the number of workers. Those that are provided are often closed during some working hours and are filthy. Drinking water is also dirty. At the Düzce factory workers drink water from the water hose that is on the floors of the toilet.
No voice, no union:
Until April most workers had not thought of joining a union. Not that conditions were good, but until a recent change in human resources management DESA had provided some channels through which workers could express their views. Workers say there were complaint and suggestion boxes, and meetings were organised where workers could raise some of their problems.
Now there is no way of workers raising issues or concerns. This shows exactly why an independent union is so different to other forms of industrial dialogue or 'worker voice'. At DESA, while one manager wanted to run the factory with some input from workers, his successor didn't – leaving workers with no voice at all. It only through the organisation of an independent, representative union that workers can really hope to improve conditions.
This is why the formation of a union is vital: so that conditions improve for workers both now and for the future.
Act now! Call on the brands to makesure DESA workers get their union!
