25 workers who protested an unlawful tender at the Çukurova University Balcalı Hospital (Adana) on 22 August are each facing 27 years in jail. Among them are executives of the Revolutionary Health Workers' Trade Union (Dev Sağlık-İş). The workers were beaten when they were taken into custody.

As a result of the occupational and legal struggle of the union, the Ministry of Labour and the Regional Labour Directorate finally decided on 13 January 2010 that the tenders at the Balcalı Hospital were collusive and that all workers were employees of the Çukurova University as of the day they started working at the hospital.

However, despite this decision, another tender was made on 22 August this year. 25 workers from the health sector resisted the tender in front of the meeting room. They were taken into custody and released later on.

The indictment was accepted by the Adana 1^st High Criminal Court. It seeks prison terms of 24 years each on the grounds of two tenders and imprisonment of another three years each by reason of preventing police officers from fulfilling their duty.

"Approach of the workers was legal and legitimate"

The Dev Sağlık-İş union issued a statement entitled, "27 years is not enough, give a death penalty. There is no other way to stop us from resisting against sub-contracting". It was said that tear gas was used in front of the meeting room inside the hospital defying health in the hospital. The statement also recalled that relatives of some patients were beaten by the police and special security forces.

Drawing attention to the previous decision of the court and the ministry, the statement considered the workers' attitude against the tender legal and deemed legitimate the reactions against work under conditions of sub-contracting. (NV/VK)