Turkey: Ford Otosan auto workers’ strike comes to an end

A strike in the Eskişehir facility of Ford Otosan came to an end on Wednesday after its workers agreed to a deal with the company's management. On May 25, Ford Otosan auto workers at the company's plant in northwestern Turkey's Eskişehir province went on strike.

One of the demands involved a protest against the Turkish Metal Labor Union, which the workers claimed was not representing them fairly. Ford Otosan had stopped production at the İnönü Plant in the central Anatolian province of Eskişehir as a precautionary measure after some of the workers who had been on strike refused to leave the plant.

"Since the labor actions have ended, manufacturing operations have resumed at the Eskişehir plant effective from June 3," the company said in a statement to Borsa Istanbul, Turkey's main stock exchange. No details were given about the deal with the workers. The dispute over wages and working conditions started in May at factories in the western province of Bursa and spread to a number of parts suppliers in the area, which is the center of Turkey's auto industry.

Workers said the dispute was sparked after the Turkish Metal Labor Union last month negotiated a 60 percent wage hike for workers at a plant run by parts maker Bosch Fren, but failed to secure a similar deal at other plants. The metal workers' strike in Bursa also ended when workers struck a deal with the management.