Strike action by Turkish aviation workers is being threatened as collective agreement negotiations with the country’s national carrier look set to collapse.
Turkish Airlines and the Turkish civil aviation workers’ union Hava-Is have so far failed to broker a new collective agreement covering some 11,000 aviation workers. Union representatives have been in discussions with the company since March.
Hava-Is has announced that unless an agreement is reached within two weeks, pilots, cabin crew and ground staff would walk out on strike – coinciding with the start of the peak summer holiday season.
The dispute covers workers’ employment conditions and what the union claims is a “derisory” pay rise offer.
The union’s general secretary Mustafa Yagci said: “Management’s intransigence on certain issues is unprecedented and proves it has no intention of settling this issue.
“That’s why we have been forced to issue an ultimatum. Strike action will be incredibly disruptive particularly as we are coming up to the peak holiday season.”
by Phil Davies
