TRKNWS-L NEWS

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

Received: by aps.nl (V-MailServer 2.20)
           id VT13988; Tue, 08 Aug 1995 13:22:46 -0800


Turkey Warns Workers That Strikes Are Illegal
    By Aliza Marcus

    ISTANBUL, Aug 7 (Reuter) - A Turkish state minister said on Monday a
planned strike by public sector workers was illegal, but the trade union
confederation promised to go ahead with the stoppage.

    ``As has been stated in appeals court decisions, the August 8 planned
event is clearly an illegal strike,'' Bekir Sami Dace, in charge of public
sector pay talks, told a news conference in Ankara.

    About 850,000 public sector workers in the trade union confederation
Turk-Is are expected to stop work on Tuesday, disrupting communications,
transport and power generation.

    Turk-Is is irate over the government's offer of a 5.4 percent annual wage
increase for the 682,000 workers whose contracts are up for negotiation.

    With inflation running at about 80 percent, union officials said they
would settle for nothing less than inflation-indexed increases.

    Contracts up for negotiation started expiring at the end of last
December.

    ``We don't even consider this to be an offer. All we want is wage
increases equal to the previous six months inflation rate so we don't lose
purchasing power,'' Yildirim Koc, adviser to the president of Turk-Is, told
Reuters.

    The inflation target for 1995 has been set at 40 percent by the end of
the year, but economists say this is unreachable. The average monthly salary
among workers whose contracts are up for negotiation is $407.

    Koc said despite Dace's claim, the strike was legal under article 87 of
the International Labour Organisation convention, which Turkey has ratified.
In Turkey general strikes are essentially illegal.

    ``We have also taken the decision to peacefully occupy workplaces until
Wednesday. This is all justified under conventions Turkey has ratified,''
said Koc.

    Turk-Is, which has about 1.2 million members, also wants to push the
government to introduce an agreed-upon increase in the minimum wage, now
about $59 after taxes.

    The minimum wage is supposed to be increased to $99 after taxes but the
two sides are fighting over the date it should go into effect.


Highlights From the Turkish Press For August 7th
      ANKARA, Aug 7 (Reuter) - These are the leading stories in the Turkish
press on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch
for their accuracy.

    MILLIYET

    -- Opposition leader Mesut Yilmaz says report on the Kurdish problem
sponsored by Turkish business group strongly resembles a previous report on
the same topic by the CIA.

    HURRIYET

    -- Kurdish guerrilla leader Abdullah Ocalan encourages his followers to
practise Islam.

    CUMHURIYET

    -- Government warns that workers' protests planned for Tuesday are
illegal.

    -- A report sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme shows
many social and economic injustices in Turkey.

    YENI YUZYIL

    -- Yilmaz criticises business group report on Kurdish issue.

    -- Far-right leader Alparslan Turkes asks why the fuss about claims that
police special forces in the southeast are linked to his party.

    YENI POLITIKA

    -- Two PKK prisoners on hunger strike to end conflict in southeast have
internal bleeding.

    DUNYA

    -- Businesswoman who invests in southeast urges Turkey's two leading
industrialists to do the same.

    ZAMAN

    -- Claims that police special teams are treating civilians badly in
eastern province of Tunceli are exaggerated.

---
 * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0)