NEWS CENTRE – Police attacked private sector teachers who wanted to make a statement in front of Parliament. The teachers, who continued their wait, stated that they would not leave Ankara until their rights are granted.

 

The Private Sector Teachers' Union gathered at Güvenpark to make a statement in front of the Ministry of Education, in order to draw attention to the problems faced by teachers who could not be appointed due to the interview process and who work in the private sector. At the action, banners reading "Give our children their rights," "Base salary and appointment" and "Let promises be kept, let teaching live" were carried. 

 

Following their wait there, police attacked the teachers as they tried to move toward Parliament. Police attacked the teachers, who repeatedly chanted slogans such as "Teachers are here, where is Yusuf Tekin (Minister of Education)," "There is no salvation alone, either all of us together or none of us," "It is teachers who teach the lesson of struggle" and "Repression cannot intimidate us." Numerous teachers, including Private Sector Teachers' Union Chair Eren Edebali, were beaten and detained.

 

A union member who spoke there said: "We came here to resist. We came to exercise our most legitimate right. We came so that the promises made would be kept. From now on, teachers will speak, and you will be silent. Teachers represent the will of 401 education workers. No one can silence the voice of teachers. We have come from kilometres away. The Teachers' Union will not leave Ankara until it gets its rights. The negotiation is over."

 

The teachers, continuing their wait on Sakarya Street, announced that they would not leave Ankara until their rights are granted.

 

The Private Sector Teachers' Union also shared what was happening on social media, saying: "Teachers seeking their rights are being detained." The statement from the union read: "We are calling on all conscientious members of the public and democratic mass organizations! Numerous members of our Executive Board, our representatives and our members have been detained. We are calling on everyone in Ankara to come to Güvenpark."