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A group of Turkish construction workers employed in Israel staged a protest in front of the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, saying they are about to lose their jobs because of the governments refusal to extend a business contract.
About 800 workers employed by Turkish construction company Yılmazlar İnşaat now face the risk of losing their jobs by end of the year because Turkey refuses to extend an agreement under which they have been guaranteed employment in Israel since 2003.
Turkey and Israel signed an agreement in 2002 for Israels assistance in the modernization of 170 Turkish tanks. Israel also undertook to employ 800 Turkish workers through Yılmazlar İnşaat in order to offset Israels commitment to purchase $40 million worth of Turkish goods per year as part of the deal. Turkish workers arrived in Israel in 2003.
But the Turkish authorities have recently decided not to extend the term of the agreement. In the absence of an agreement, Israel now refuses to extend visas for the Turkish workers, thus forcing them to return home by end of the week. We expected the Turkish government to support us as a Turkish company doing business abroad. But Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is obstructing our business, said Ahmet Arık of Yılmazlar İnşaat. He complained that the offset agreement signed between Turkey and Israel is valid until 2015 but that they are not allowed to work in Israel until the agreement expires.
We can work only for six months a year in Turkey because of weather conditions. But we can work here for the entire year, said Mehmet Kayhan, one of the workers employed by Yılmazlar. It is advantageous for us to work in Israel. Thus, we hope our visas will be renewed so that we can continue working here.
The dispute comes amid political tensions between Turkey and Israel. The relations between the two former allies deteriorated amid Turkish criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza and reached a breaking point when Israeli commandos killed eight Turks and one Turkish-American during a raid on an aid ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza on May 31.
Workers protest Turkey in Israel over business row
About 800 workers employed by Turkish construction company Yılmazlar İnşaat now face the risk of losing their jobs by end of the year because Turkey refuses to extend an agreement under which they have been guaranteed employment in Israel since 2003.
Turkey and Israel signed an agreement in 2002 for Israels assistance in the modernization of 170 Turkish tanks. Israel also undertook to employ 800 Turkish workers through Yılmazlar İnşaat in order to offset Israels commitment to purchase $40 million worth of Turkish goods per year as part of the deal. Turkish workers arrived in Israel in 2003.
But the Turkish authorities have recently decided not to extend the term of the agreement. In the absence of an agreement, Israel now refuses to extend visas for the Turkish workers, thus forcing them to return home by end of the week. We expected the Turkish government to support us as a Turkish company doing business abroad. But Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is obstructing our business, said Ahmet Arık of Yılmazlar İnşaat. He complained that the offset agreement signed between Turkey and Israel is valid until 2015 but that they are not allowed to work in Israel until the agreement expires.
We can work only for six months a year in Turkey because of weather conditions. But we can work here for the entire year, said Mehmet Kayhan, one of the workers employed by Yılmazlar. It is advantageous for us to work in Israel. Thus, we hope our visas will be renewed so that we can continue working here.
The dispute comes amid political tensions between Turkey and Israel. The relations between the two former allies deteriorated amid Turkish criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza and reached a breaking point when Israeli commandos killed eight Turks and one Turkish-American during a raid on an aid ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza on May 31.
Workers protest Turkey in Israel over business row
