The new airport in Istanbul is regarded as a flagship project of President Erdogan. However, hundreds of workers protested against the miserable working conditions. Now they work under the surveillance of the police.
Two major airports, has Istanbul already, but the burst from the seams. They are far from sufficient to meet the passenger needs of the 15-million-inhabitant metropolis. A third international Airport is to provide, therefore, for relief. The new airport in Istanbul is one of the major flagship projects of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. To complete the construction as quickly as possible, toil for four years to 36,000 workers at the place of construction. Their rights are ignored to a large extent. As the workers Protest about the poor working conditions on the street, went to the police with tear gas, water cannons against you. A total of 500 people were arrested, many were beaten.
The immediate cause for the protests was that the workers had to wait in the past week for hours in the pouring rain to the Shuttle Bus, the barracks, between the Living and the construction site swings back and forth. The 26-year-old m. is working with his father on the construction: “After the end of our shift, we went to the Shuttle buses. It poured cats and dogs, we were very wet. Then, eventually, a single Bus came, tried them all, there is to get. Then, with this Situation on Friday repeated, began the uprising.”
The workers began then to strike. Hundreds joined. In spite of several warnings, they refused to return to work. Subsequently, the police responded with violence.
The demands of the workers
However, the approximately two-hour Transfer from the centre to the airport is certainly not the only Problem of the workers. They also complain about the lack of protection at work, poor accommodations, and insufficient catering. The working conditions were inhuman, says M.: “you try to two-storey bunk beds in a tiny room to squeeze. Sometimes eight people sleeping in one room. We are here in the forest, there are a lot of insects. When we come home from work, tell us: ‘Go out, looking for you to alternative accommodation, we spray insect poison.’ But where should I go? I have no apartment.”
Protests against working conditions at the new Istanbul airport
The Diyarbakir-born 25-year-old F. has been working for three months on the construction, because he has found in his home town of no work. “The food tastes like nothing, the water in the bathroom is freezing or not running at all. Our wages are not paid in a timely manner.” After the Protest, the police have strengthened their presence, and told the young man: “Now it is here, as in a state of emergency. Everywhere tanks.”
The workers have developed a list of 15 demands. Clean accommodation, timely salary payments and better protection.
Are members of the death threatened victims?
The belongs to the greatest problems of the large construction site. The largest Turkish opposition party CHP was already months ago in the Parliament, to the cause of death of 400 workers to investigate. According to the labour and social Ministry, only 27 people came to the building killed.
Kazım Bayraktar is a lawyer of the labour Union Inşaat-Iş. Members of the Union had tried to check the arrangements for the work safety on the construction site, however, were not let in, he tells. “It is more difficult to come to this site as in a barracks,” says Bayraktar. Also, it was threatened almost be impossible to contact the families of the deceased to include: “next of kin. This is to prevent these incidents come to court.”
“36,000 people working on the construction of”
Ali Öztutan SEN is Chairman of the building workers ‘ Union IYI -. Of the 36, 000 to the construction workers 15,000 lives in a camp, he explains. Since the beginning of the construction work had been violated in all areas against the rules. “The main reason for this is that the builders will review any adjustment to the guidelines as a financial burden. For four years nothing was done to fix the problems.” However, the government ignored the complaints of the workers. Everything will be done the first part of the airport on 29. To open October, Turkish Republic day. The airport has so far cost almost eleven billion euros, and should be aligned to 90 million passengers a year.