Istanbul, April 27 (HNA) – Journalists in Reuters Turkish bureaux said on Wednesday announced that they will take strike action on 10 May unless the global news agency increases salaries to meet the spiralling cost of inflation in the country.
Staff demonstrated outside their offices in Istanbul and Ankara on Wednesday following the failure of collective bargaining between Reuters and the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS).
“We urge Reuters to reassess its proposal and offer a wage increase that is both equitable and acknowledges Turkey’s economic circumstances,” the TGS said in a statement:
“Today, we declare not only our decision to strike but also our determination to strike. If our members do not receive a wage increase at the rate they deserve, and if we do not see a positive step from the Reuters employer to solve the problem, we announce publicly that we will start the strike action as of May 10… We will not give up until we get what we deserve.”
“It is not enough to take pride in communicating the facts to the public; what is just is to recognise these facts in one’s approach to employees. As people who are in pursuit of the facts, we will never allow ourselves to be exempt from those facts. We will not give up until we get what we deserve,” it said.
Representatives from UNI Global Union’s Media, Entertainment & Arts (UNI MEI) joined the Reuters workers in Istanbul as their union made the announcement to strike if necessary. UNI is a global union representing more than 20 million workers in the services sectors in 150 countries.
In a solidarity letter on behalf of UNI Global Union to TGS, Johannes Studinger, Head of UNI MEI, chastised Reuters management for failing to negotiate in good faith or come up with a proposal that responds to the reality of inflation and the urgency of the situation. He added:
“We understand that the situation has reached a point where a strike is the only option left to make your voices heard. We fully support your right to protest, strike action and demand just wages and dignified working conditions.
“We call on Reuters to finally engage in good faith collective bargaining and come forward with a proposal that provides economic sustainability to its workforce. We urge Reuters to reassess its proposal and offer a wage increase that is both equitable and acknowledges Turkey’s economic circumstances.”
Elsewhere, UNI’s Turkish affiliate TGS has announced that workers at the AFP news agency in Turkey will strike on 3 May, which is World Press Freedom Day, unless management proposes a reasonable solution that considers the economic crisis and real inflation rate.
“Reuters Turkey bureau members are determined to get what they deserve and will go on strike unless their demands are met,” a staffer who asked not to be identified told The Baron, an open, free and independent website.
“Turkey has been experiencing a severe economic crisis for the last two years, even if the situation is not described in those terms. We are faced with an unpredictable market, with hikes in basic consumer goods almost every day and prices even doubling in a month.”
Despite many rounds of negotiations, the Reuters management has refused to offer more than a 25 percent pay rise, even though the official inflation figure for March at 50.51 per cent, and an independent research group puts inflation at 112.51 percent.