Manufacturing activities resume in two car companies, halt in another amid labor protests

Tofaş said its production activities had restarted as of May 22 and that it had no problems in the procurement process from suppliers after a labor dispute halted production in a statement to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP). 

Before the announcement by Tofaş, a joint venture between Italy’s Fiat and Turkey’s Koç Holding, Ford Otosan announced manufacturing operations had restarted at its Gölcük and Yeniköy plants in northwest Turkey on the night of May 21.

At the same time, Türk Traktör, a company specializing in tractor manufacturing, said it would halt production in two cities because of an ongoing labor dispute, in a statement to the KAP late May 21. 

The company said production in capital city Ankara and Erenler in the Marmara province of Sakarya will be halted until dissolution, citing risk management policies of the firm.

Both the government and employers have urged the workers to end the protests, saying that labor disputes would harm production, investments and exports of the country’s automotive sector. 

Protesting workers have been complaining about the inefficient representation of their unions and want better wages and working conditions.