Workers demand talks from swatch and jack & jones in Türkiye

Alke Boessiger Deputy General Secretary | UNI Global Union

By Sky Industry News

Nov 29, 2024

UNI Global Union's Turkish affiliate, Koop-Is, organized two demonstrations in Istanbul on November 27 to urge Swatch and Jack & Jones to drop their objections to collective bargaining certificates and start negotiations for collective agreements.

The first protest took place outside the Özdilek Shopping Centre, where Swatch operates a store. The Swiss watchmaker has 16 stores and 170 employees in Turkey, with over 40 percent of its workforce joining Koop-Is. This surpasses the legal threshold in Türkiye for initiating collective bargaining. Despite meeting these requirements, Swatch’s local management filed a court objection seven months ago, delaying the process potentially up to five years due to court decisions and appeals.

During the protest, Murat Türkekul from the Koop-Is Executive Committee urged Swatch to negotiate: “We call on Swatch to withdraw its objection and negotiate with us. It is the first of many actions that will take in front of Swatch stores across Türkiye until the company will sit around the table with us. The clock is ticking for Swatch, it is time to negotiate a collective agreement with us!”

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Mathias Bolton, UNI Head of Commerce, criticized Swatch Turkey’s actions: “It is totally unacceptable that Swatch Turkey management challenged the collective bargaining certificate and blocked the entire bargaining process without a legal, valid or justified reason. We call on Swatch global management to immediately intervene and take all necessary measures to remove obstacles to collective bargaining in Turkey. Swatch, it is time to stop blocking collective bargaining. It is time to start negotiating a collective agreement!”

UNIA, UNI’s Swiss affiliate, also supported the workers: “We express our solidarity with the action taken by Koop-Is. These anti-union practices are unworthy of a responsible company. If Swatch does not negotiate with the union, we will denounce this situation in Switzerland to hold the group’s management to account. Swatch workers can always be sure of our support.”

The second demonstration was at Jack & Jones' Istanbul headquarters. The Danish Bestseller Group subsidiary operates 24 stores and employs 490 retail workers in Turkey. Similar to Swatch workers, Jack & Jones employees surpassed the union organization threshold but faced a court objection three months ago.

Koop-Is’ Murat Türkekul reiterated their commitment: “It is our first but not the last action. We will keep fighting until the objection is withdrawn, right to collective bargaining is respected and the first collective agreement for Jack and Jones workers is concluded.”

Mathias Bolton called on Jack & Jones and its parent company: “We join our affiliate Koop-Is Union in calling Jack & Jones Turkey management to withdraw its objection and negotiate a collective agreement with the union. We also call on ‘Bestseller,’ the global parent company of Jack & Jones, to immediately intervene. We will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Jack & Jones workers and Koop-Is Union until they secure the first collective agreement.”