We will resist, we will win
TÜPRAŞ workers, who have been resisting for weeks, rejected the collective bargaining agreement and blocked the road in Gebze yesterday. Other refineries also held marches. Despite the police using pepper spray, the workers pushed through the barricades and marched on.
Labour Service
In İzmir, Kocaeli, Batman and Kırıkkale, TÜPRAŞ workers who launched protests against Koç Holding’s imposition of low wages are continuing their resistance despite the agreement being signed. The collective bargaining agreement signed yesterday between Petrol-İş and TÜPRAŞ General Directorate sparked backlash among workers. At the Gebze and Aliağa refineries, workers marched under the slogan “we do not accept this poverty wage increase.” In Gebze, the protests spilled outside the refinery, with workers blocking traffic on the E5 highway for a while.
REACTION AGAINST THE UNION
The collective bargaining agreement, which began on 6 May between Petrol-İş General Headquarters and TÜPRAŞ General Directorate and was reportedly signed in the early hours of 7 May, has sparked outrage among workers. It was reported that the Aliağa branch management did not sign the agreement.
According to the agreement that provoked the workers’ reaction, wage increases are set at 35 percent for the first 6 months, 24 percent for the second 6 months, Consumer Price Index Plus (CPI +) 4 percent for the third 6 months, CPI for the fourth 6 months, CPI + 6 percent for the fifth 6 months, and CPI again for the sixth 6 months. The clauses on social benefits also fell short of workers’ expectations.
The demands initially presented by the Petrol-İş Union during negotiations including an 85 percent raise, seniority adjustments, and a two-year contract were not met. Despite this, the workers’ resistance forced Koç Holding to raise its initial 15.75 percent offer to 35 percent.
Finding the wage increase rates inadequate and angry at the union’s stance, TÜPRAŞ workers staged their first protest in Kocaeli. One of the protest targets was the union itself, with chants of “union resign” frequently heard among the workers.
WE’VE BURNED OUR BRIDGES
After weeks of go-slow actions and protests to make their voices heard, the workers feel abandoned by the union. They say the union failed to adequately defend their demands and that the agreement with the employer was made without their consent, expressing their frustration with the question: “Was all this resistance just for 35 percent?”
Soon after the protest by workers who rejected the agreement began, the Kocaeli Branch of the Petrol-İş Union also joined them. The workers blocked the road and began marching. Police attempted to stop the march by setting up barricades and intervened with pepper spray. However, the workers pushed through the barricade and continued marching. After the march, they gathered in front of the refinery.
Speaking there, the workers highlighted that TÜPRAŞ is one of the most profitable companies and condemned the disregard shown toward them. They declared that they would continue their actions despite the agreement being signed. The most powerful slogan voiced by the workers was “We’ve burned our bridges, there’s no turning back.”
In İzmir Aliağa, hundreds of workers joined a march inside the refinery. Both the TÜPRAŞ management and the union headquarters were protested there as well.
Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled Direneceğiz, kazanacağız, published in BirGün newspaper on May 8, 2025.
