ANKARA – The Private Sector Teachers’ Union wanted to make a statement in front of the Ministry in Ankara on 30 August for many personal rights, including the base salary. While the police attacked the statement, a total of 10 people, including 8 teachers and 2 lawyers, were detained. Many people were also affected by the gas.
Madenci Anıtı önünde açıklama yapmak isteyen Öğretmen Sendikası’na polis saldırdı https://t.co/NxPhf2bwzw pic.twitter.com/Vh6nGOChrZ
— sendika.org (@sendika_org) August 30, 2022
A private sector teacher, who participated in the action and did not want to be named, told ANF what happened.
WE WERE THERE TO REACT TO THE LAW
Expressing that they want the right to a base wage, the teacher said: “Here, there is more of a struggle to get the lost right. One of our basic demands was the article ‘the public teacher cannot be paid less than the salary received’, which is important for teachers working in private institutions and was enacted in 2014. The removal of that clause overnight meant that teachers were doomed even less for this already unregulated market. There were teachers working in bad conditions, but there was also such an article. At least, when you complained or sought your rights, maybe you could get a right according to this article.”
THE POLICE DID NOT ALLOW THE MARCH
The teacher, who did not want to give his name, who said that he had a serious organization with the Private Sector Teachers’ Union, explained the police attack as follows: “There was a serious participation today. Previously, there were three hundred and fifty, four hundred people in the TMMOB hall. The cops were already waiting at the door. After the event and the speeches were over, we wanted to walk in front of the Ministry of National Education and make a press release there. We would just walk in silence and make our statement and disperse. But we don’t allow that, the police said. Since the Ministry of National Education is not allowed, we will walk on the pavement, we will not occupy the road. We said let’s make a press statement in Güvenpark, we will not even shout slogans, we will not do anything, we will not even block the road. Part of the audience had already left at the exit.
The union president wanted to go up to a high place and make a statement, he said ‘we will walk’, but the police attacked. The attack took place without any resistance. The deputy chief of police who provoked many actions in Ankara, I don’t know what’s going on. Upon their provocation, the push took off. Gases were sprayed in our eyes towards our faces. Dozens of people have already been devastated. It’s been three hours and I’m just coming back to myself. I still have burning in my body.
Although the TMMOB hall is a closed place, gas was sprayed there. In other words, if we stayed there for a couple more hours and advanced the action a little bit, there would have been an intervention all the way inside. Imagine that dozens of people will be poisoned by gas there. Inside, the gas was already out of sight. Dozens of people were on the ground. There were families who came with their children and their spouses.”
