Work stoppages at Turkey’s major supermarket chain Migros have spread nationwide after the firing of 280 workers and the detention of nearly 100 protestors, triggering growing protests and solidarity.
According to the Turkish media the unrest began on January 23, when workers at four Migros warehouses stopped work to protest poor working conditions and a proposed 28 percent wage increase, which they said was insufficient given that Turkey’s rate of inflation stands at 56 percent, according to independent economists.
The company has not responded to their demands. Instead, around 280 workers were fired and nearly 100 others were detained during a protest held on Saturday in front of the residence of Tuncay Özilhan, owner of the Anadolu Group, Migros’s parent company. The detainees were released on Sunday.
On Monday police also attempted to block workers and union officials from making a public statement in front of a warehouse in İstanbul’s Esenyurt district.
Led by the Warehouse, Port, Shipyard and Maritime Workers Union (DGD-SEN), the work stoppage has since spread to 12 warehouses across the country and now involves approximately 5,000 workers.
The workers are demanding a 50 percent wage increase. They claim Migros has pressured employees to join a different union as a prerequisite for permanent employment contracts. They have also accused the company of attempting to change their work category to evade occupational health and safety obligations.
The Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK) issued a statement calling for the immediate fulfillment of the workers’ demands and urging an end to dismissals, detentions and unlawful practices.
Opposition lawmaker İskender Bayhan of the Labor Party (EMEP) submitted a parliamentary inquiry addressed to Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan, asking whether inspections and sanctions had been carried out in response to workers’ complaints. Bayhan criticized the ministry for remaining silent and failing to take any concrete action.
Support for the workers is increasing. A group of 163 academics issued a joint statement calling on Migros to respect trade union rights and engage in negotiations. Hundreds of artists and cultural workers have also expressed solidarity with the workers.
In addition, operators of small liquor and tobacco shops, known locally as tekel dealers, said they would stop selling products of Efes, a company under the Anadolu Group, until the workers’ demands are met.
A yearly report produced by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on labor rights revealed that Turkey is one of the 10 worst countries in the world for workers in industrial sectors. According to the Brussels-based ITUC, workers’ freedoms and rights have been further denied since police crackdowns on protests in Turkey in 2025, while strikes and attempts to unionize were prevented by the authorities.
