ISTANBUL - The resistance of 104 Neo Trend workers, who dismissed without being given the right to severance and notice pay, continues. Nuray Öztürk, one of the workers, stated that the factory boss, Kazım Akbulut, distracted the workers when he claimed that he had gone bankrupt, and said: ‘’If he goes bankrupt, he should not live in the summer house, villa. Let him sell his estates, let him live in rent like us. Let him pay away our right.’’

 

104 textile workers in Neo Trend Textile Corp., located in Güngören district of Istanbul, were taken on two-month unpaid leave during the pandemic process. The workers, who learned that they were dismissed with a message from the Turkish Employment Organization (İŞKUR) following the end of the ‘’prohibition of dismissal’’ on July 1, were not given the right to severance and notice pay. Textile workers, who were both unlawfully dismissed and denied their rights, have carried out demonstrations in many places for their rights since July 1. One of the action addresses of the workers seeking their rights was in front of the house of Kazım Akbulut, the boss of the textile factory, who disappeared after he usurped the rights of the workers.

 

Nuray Öztürk, one of the Neo Trend Textile resisters, spoke to our agency and stated that they will continue to fight until they get their rights.

 

‘When we returned from unpaid leave, there was no workplace’

 

Nuray, who has been working at the Neo Trend Textile factory for more than two years, stated that they were taken on leave for two months, but this period was extended and stated that Kazım Akbulut used this process and closed his workplace by selling all the materials in the workplace. Nuray said: ‘’When we went to the workplace, neither the workplace nor the boss was there. Kazım Akbulut opens a front company in Avcılar. We went to Avcılar and there was no workplace, only a small shop. We decided to resist.’’

 

‘Let him live in rent like us, not in a villa, let him give us our right’

 

Nuray stated: ‘’We do not have our eyes on Kazım Akbulut’s assets, we want our rights,’’. She demanded that the rights of 104 dismissed people be given. Stating that they will continue to fight until they get their rights, Nuray said that Kazım Akbulut told the workers that he had gone bankrupt and she continued as: ‘’If he went bankrupt, he should not live in summer house, villa. Let him sell his estates. Let him live in rent like us, let him pay away our right. Everything is fine when you work, but when it comes to give workers’ right, disappear, make a holiday at your summer house. Let him give us our right then take a holiday.’’

 

Nuray called out to Kazım Akbulut and said: ‘’Now, let him take the trouble and contact with us and give the workers’ right.’’