"We were left at the door like an empty demijohn"

Ali Can POLAT

While the economic crisis Türkiye has been grappling with for years has put companies in a difficult position, the primary driver of cost savings has once again been labor. Defacto, one of Türkiye's leading clothing brands, has implemented mass layoffs due to downsizing. Having parted ways with over 200 employees at its stores a few months ago, the company has now laid off approximately 450 employees at its headquarters and warehouses. The company, which operates from home, initially mandated three days of office time for its employees at the beginning of June. It was then announced that this would be increased to five days at the beginning of September. Workers explained that they had implemented school, home, and nanny schedules accordingly. "We received a phone call one evening and learned we were fired," he said.

Reason for expulsion from the union

Ahmet Yücesoy, who has been working as an accounting specialist at the company for 9.5 years, said, "If such a plan had been announced a month in advance, everyone would have adjusted themselves. Now, with schools open, plans and expenses already made, we're slammed shut like an empty demijohn."

The company reportedly prevented workers from organizing after arriving at headquarters for the mass layoffs by not allowing more than three people to gather in the courtyard that day. It also brought in outside security in addition to company security, barred employees from leaving their offices, and prevented anyone from saying goodbye to their colleagues. The company, which stipulates union activity as a unilateral termination clause in its employment contract, has no union organization. However, dismissed employees have begun organizing in WhatsApp groups. The workers are preparing to file a lawsuit for collective reinstatement.

It was alleged that the company brought in additional security from outside the building on the day of the mass layoff and prevented employees from standing next to each other.

They also fired disabled employees

A lawyer contacted by the laid-off employees told Sözcü: “They committed a massacre of workers under the guise of economic contraction and technological investments. People were notified of these outbursts by email the night before. Even employees with disabilities were dismissed in this manner. There are allegations that even during this process, people known to upper management were spared. We will investigate all of them and initiate legal proceedings. When downsizing, employees with 10-15 years of experience are not dismissed; those who joined a few months ago are left behind; senior employees are dismissed.”