Istanbul's third airport has been scheduled to open on October 29, on Turkey's Republic Day. While the contested construction has been going on under heavy criticism by environmentalist movements and unions in the last five years, the construction site that has been employing over 30.000 workers, has become the venue of a workers' strike today due to bad treatment of workers and lack of work safety measures.
Due to increasing number of occupational fatality cases and heavy working conditions at the construction site of Istanbul's third airport, workers have started a strike this morning. Construction-Work Union had announced that since there has been declared a strike by workers early in the morning, more workers joined in. Union announced, the accounts sharing the sights of strike on Twitter are being threatened. Workers at Istanbul's 3rd airport have spoken to Cumhuriyet daily, "everyday there are workers dying at the construction, we have wounded people on a daily basis, our rooms are filled with bedbugs and bosses do not spare any time for us." The union announced that the gendarme forces had called on the workers to stop strike, "this is an illegal action, you have to disperse".
Gendarme forces had intervened with tear gas during the day against workers that went on strike at Istanbul's 3rd airport. After gendarme intervention against strike workers at Istanbul's 3rd airport, the workers had regrouped and continued their action. [embed]https://twitter.com/dokuz8_EN/status/1040676158919114754[/embed] "We no longer feel like human beings" said the workers as reason for their strike, after they had been asked why they continue their strike following gendarme intervention. A representative of construction company wanted to address the strike workers at the construction workers during the day; workers have thrown their hard hats at the representative in reaction. Confederation of Progressive Labour Unions chair Arzu Çerkezoğlu has not been permitted to meet with workers at the strike area during the day, due to lack of permit by the governorship. At night, workers continued their strike at Istanbul's 3rd airport construction zone saying "we will definitely win." A water cannon has been brought to the strike area; entrances have been announced as locked down to prevent people from outside to come in. Construction-Work Union has called for solidarity on twitter, "we call upon all society with consciousness, to hear the rightful scream of the construction worker, and not let it be suffocated with an operation. We invite all to come join this resistance, to grow solidarity." Gendarme forces arrived at the strike area while the strike of Istanbul's 3rd airport workers continued. The workers have announced that the strike will give a break for the night and continue in the morning.
Construction-Work Union has issued a twitter statement announcing demands of Istanbul's 3rd airport workers; "we will not let the construction site be turned into slave-camp".