Workers at Swatch stores in Türkiye ended a more than two-week strike on Wednesday after securing significant pay rises, improved working conditions and stronger social benefits, local union Koop-Iş said on its website.
The workers had sought a better pay deal that reflects the inflation rate in Türkiye, where prices rose by nearly 33% in the year through October. They were disappointed with the 25% pay raise Swatch had offered to shop workers and the 5% to 15% hikes proposed to office staff, the union said.
Wednesday's agreement followed lengthy negotiations with the Swiss watchmaker and will set a precedent for thousands of retail workers in shopping malls, where long hours and low pay have been a persistent concern, the union said.
"The struggle was never a lonely one. We stood shoulder to shoulder until our members got what they deserved," Koop-Iş Chairperson Eyup Alemdar said in a statement published on the labor union's website.
"The strike, which our union initiated to demand humane working conditions, a decent wage and fair working conditions, has officially ended today, with an agreement reached after long and difficult negotiations with the employer."
The precise rate of increase in wages was not disclosed in the statement released by the union.
