Solidarity Needed By Istanbul Dora Hotel Workers

Solidarity Needed By Istanbul Dora Hotel Workers

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Istanbul Dora Hotel was founded approximately 2 years ago.

Dora Hotel workers are union members, as is their right under the Turkish constitution but now the employers are trying to deprive us of those rights.

Dora Hotel workers who are members of Tourism Hotel Sports Laborers Union (Tüm Emek Sen) have been fired because they insisted on being allowed to express those rights. 24 of our union members have been let go.

There are still some of our union members in Dora Hotel. Employers are forcing workers to resign from the union by frightening them with firing. They are saying that they won’t let a union member inside.

As of now this is the plight of those workers who have sought strike action:
1- The Salary of hotel workers is 1100-1500 TL (450-650 $), hotel manager’s 120000 TL (5200 $)

2- As you know, touristic hotels are open 7 days a week 24 hours a day. Although daily work hours are supposedly limited to 8 hours, they are often forced to work 16-24 hours straight,

3- Although there are 3 shifts daily, workers are often forced to work more than just their one shift, 4- Workers’ off-days and holidays are uncertain,
5- Overtime work is not paid,
6- Workers face workplace harassment almost everyday,

7- Workers have no extra income. They pay their travel expenses from their salaries, whereas the hotel manager is not forced to pay his travel expenses from his salary. That is covered by the company and as you can see workers earn far less money than do managers.


Hotel workers protest hotel management every Sunday in front of The Dora Hotel.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Although we as workers have a “right” under the constitution to organize and form a union, in reality that right goes no further than the piece of paper it is written on. There can be no industrial democracy because the employers do not wish for workers to mobilize and demand our rights. The bosses use all kinds of tactics to deny us our formal rights so that we will lose our right as workers to win our fair share of the wealth that we produce. As of now, all or most of it goes to the employers. We know that this obvious fact is clear to all workers all around the world. We are all suffering, while 80 people make as much wealth as 3.5 billion people. This is obscene!

We need your support to protest Dora Hotel management’s complete disregard of the rights we have earned through our struggles. We know you understand since workers in your country are suffering the same fate. Bosses everywhere are trying to drive down the wages and living conditions of all workers.

That is why we call for international solidarity because without support from our fellow workers wherever they may reside no one will win. If we allow ourselves to be divided by country, by ethnic group, by gender, by “race” we all lose.

Therefore, we are calling on our brothers and sisters to help support our strike by

• Protest the hotel management to send email or fax to the hotel:

İstanbul Dora Hotel
e-mail: info [at] istanbuldora.com, booking [at] istanbuldora.com Fax: “+90 212 233 99 96
Tel: +90 212 233 70 70

• Contact with the union:

TURİZM OTEL SPOR EMEKÇİLERİ SENDİKASI (Tüm Emek Sen)
Merkez: M. NESİH ÖZMEN MAH. BARIŞ SOK. MADEN-İŞ SİTESİ B BLOK ALTI NO: 7/2 MERTER/İSTANBUL/TURKEY
İstanbul Avrupa Tem.: MİLLET CAD. KARAGÜL İŞ MERKEZİ no: 84 KAT.6 D.265 FINDIKZADE/FATİH/İSTANBUL/TURKEY
Tel:+90 212 523 44 36 - +90 532 371 38 66 - +90 533 717 83 89
web: http://www.tumemeksen.org
e-mail: tumemeksentemsilciligi [at] gmail.com, sporsen2009 [at] gmail.com

• Write your support messages under #boycottDoraHotel and #doraHotel at social media (twitter, facebook. etc)

An Injury to One is an Injury to All and a Victory for any strike is a victory for all workers. Remember the capitalists act internationally and we should too.