Swatch workers in Turkey end strike after union-brokered pay deal

Swatch groupAG

26/11/2025 13:11

Nov 26 (Reuters) - Workers at 16 Swatch UHR.S stores in Turkey ended a more than two-week strike on Wednesday after securing significant pay rises, improved working conditions and stronger social benefits, local union Koop-Is said on its website.

The workers had sought a better pay deal due to high inflation in Turkey, where prices rose by 33% in the year through October. They were disappointed with the 25% pay rise Swatch had offered to shop workers and the 5% to 15% hikes proposed to office staff, the union said.

Reuters reported on November 7 that workers at 16 of Swatch Group's directly operated stores in Turkey were set to strike in a dispute over pay and workers' rights.

Wednesday's agreement followed lengthy negotiations with the Swiss watchmaker and will set a precedent for thousands of retail workers in Turkey's 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-Is Chairman Eyup Alemdar said in a statement published on the labour union's website.

(Reporting by Mirac Eren Dereli, writing by Canan Sevgili, Arda Dipova in Gdansk; editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)

((canan.sevgili@thomsonreuters.com;))