Swatch Group AG store workers across Turkish shopping malls are on strike seeking better pay and improved conditions. The company said their demands were âunrealistic.â
About 100 workers have been participating in the strike in 15 stores and the companyâs Turkish headquarters since Nov. 10, Koop-Is labor union chief Eyup Alemdar told Bloomberg on Monday. The union is seeking a wage increase of around 30 percent, the introduction of bonus payments and better conditions including shorter weekly hours, Alemdar said.
Consumer prices in Turkey rose 33 percent as of October, down from as high as 85.5 percent in 2022.
âThe unionâs demands are unrealistically high and totally exaggerated,â a Swatch Group spokesperson said in an email. According to Alemdar, the union leader, Swatch is offering wage increases of less than 20 percent while rejecting other demands.
âWe work really hard, sometimes 12 hours a day,â said Sinem Yapicilar, a store worker in Istanbul. âWe want to work under better conditions and get a proper wage.â
Currently, wages are âslightly higher than the minimum wageâ of 22,104 liras ($522) a month, she said. Onur Cakan, another worker, complained that he can only be at home at 11:30 p.m. after closing the store at 10 p.m.
By Taylan Bilgic, Tugce Ozsoy
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