Turkish Cement Workers, Behind Trade Union Çimse-İş, Achieve New Labour Pact

ICEM affiliate Çimse-İş, the proud Turkish union representing cement, ceramics, pottery, and glass workers, averted an industry-wide strike recently by agreeing to a three-year labour agreement with the Cement Employers Association (CEIS) recently. The new agreement, extending back to 1 January 2008 and lasting to 31 December 2010, covers 6,000 union members at 46 cement production facilities.

It calls for a first year wage increase of 12%. The second year pay increase will be pegged to the nation’s inflation rate, while the third year increase was set at the inflation rate plus three percent.

According to the Turkish Institution for Statistics, the current inflation rate for consumer prices is 8.39% and wholesale prices are at 5.94%. The Turkish Central Bank is predicting a 2008 inflation rate of 7.9% for consumer prices.

The negotiations were long and arduous. Çimse-İş was on the verge of a national strike before coming together with CEIS on the new agreement.

In addition, Çimse-İş won for union members a set of bonuses amounting to 120 days of salary. Also, benefits such as the night-shift premium, overtime pay, food allowance, social assistance package, and marriage, birth, death, and natural disaster payments were increased between 50-to-75%.

The ICEM extends congratulations to Turkish cement workers, and to Çimse-İş leaders for posting these gains in the industry.