Turkish metal employers' association, union reach agreement after lockout -Anadolu

The Turkish Employers Association of Metal Industries (MESS) and Turkish Metal Union agreed on a collective bargaining agreement, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Wednesday, following a lockout decision last week. The companies that are members of MESS constitute around a quarter of the Turkish manufacturing sector's revenue and contribute $30 billion a year to its economy, according to a MESS report.

Turkish companies Arcelik, Aygaz, Ford Otosan, Karsan, Otokar, Tofas, and Turk Traktor reported last week that the Turkish Metal Union had decided on a strike at their businesses. Anadolu said the collective bargaining agreement concerned around 200 businesses and 130,000 employees. Under the agreement wages will rise 18.49% in the first six months and 25.50% over the first year in total, Anadolu said.

The collective agreement was to cover wages for 2019 to 2021, but further details were not yet available.