Hitachi Energy
Following the failure to reach an agreement in the collective labour agreement negotiations between the Birleşik Metal-İş union and the Turkish Metal Industrialists' Union (MESS) for Hitachi Energy, Grid Solutions, Schneider Electric and Arıtaş Kriyojenik workplaces for the 2024-2026 period, a strike decision was taken. In addition, after the failure to reach an agreement in the collective bargaining negotiations with Green Transfo, which is not covered by MESS, a strike was announced to start on 25 December at the company's factory in Gebze, Kocaeli.
Upon the failure to reach an agreement by the announced date, strikes started on 4 December 2022 at Hitachi Energy's plants in Kartal, Ümraniye and Tuzla districts of Istanbul and Dilovası district of Kocaeli, and on 13 December at Grid Solutions' plants in Gebze district of Kocaeli and Schneider Electric's plants in Yunusemre district of Manisa and Çayırova district of Kocaeli.
After all of these strikes were banned by the Presidential Decree No. 9231 published on 14 December 2024, Birleşik Metal-İş announced that they will not accept the decision to ban the strike and will continue the strikes. In line with this announcement, workers at Hitachi Energy, Grid Solutions and Schneider Electric factories continued their official strike as a wildcat strike. Workers at Arıtaş Kriyojenik's plant in Gönen, Balıkesir, which is part of the MESS group agreement, started a wildcat strike on 19 December.
The strike in 4 factories of Hitachi Energy ended on the 20th day (10th day of the wildcat strike) with the agreement reached between Birleşik Metal-İş and MESS on December 23. According to the statement made by Birleşik Metal-İş; with the agreement reached against MESS's 40% wage increase offer before the strike, a 60.5% increase in wages was achieved in the first 6 months of the contract with the wage increase and monthly payments.
The announced increase rates are as follows:
- In the first 6 months, the hourly wage as of August 31 will first be increased by 20 percent, then 40 TL will be added, and then 1.5 TL/hour will be added for each year of seniority, not exceeding 12 years. With this method of increase, the average net wage at the workplace will be 65,000 TL. The wages to be received vary between 44,000 thousand TL net and 107,000 TL net.
- In the second 6 months (on March 1, 2025), an increase of 20 percent will be made. However, 20 percent of the inflation in the last 6 months will be added to the inflation rate, and if the rate exceeds 20 percent, this rate will be applied. Thus, effective March 1, 2025, the annual wage increase rate will be 83 percent. On March 1, 2025, the average monthly net wage at the workplace will be 78,000 TL.
- In the third 6-month period (on September 1, 2025), the last 6-month inflation rate and 20 percent of this inflation rate will be added and a wage increase will be made by the resulting rate.
- In the fourth 6 months, the wage will be increased by the 6-month inflation rate. Social benefits will be increased at rates ranging between 90 percent and 256 percent in the first year of the contract.