http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/turkey.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article16757 http://tobacco.org/news/298603.html The strike of Turkish workers across the winter of 2009-10 at Tekel, a former state enterprise in the tobacco and alcoholic beverage sector, has attracted the attention of the left and unions around the world. The Tekel workers have demonstrated incredible tenacity and courage in confronting layoffs, flexibilization, and remuneration cuts that have been the result - as well as the intent - of the privatization process. The strike has animated the Turkish union movement, and given renewed impetus to the class struggle in Turkey. Although the struggle has many features specific to the Turkish context, it has gained wider resonance for the union movement internationally. Struggles over public sector austerity and restructuring are moving to the centre of the political stage as 'exit strategies' from the financial crisis begin to set in. Indeed, these conflicts have already burst onto the streets of Athens, Dublin, Lisbon and San Francisco. And they will continue to spread over the coming year. Workers and the left around the world can draw inspiration from the Tekel workers' struggle. The Bullet here presents two reports, from Sungur Savran and Gülden Özcan, on the current phase of the Tekel strike. . . . Not a Spectre, but the Vital Reality : Proletariat on the Stage Despite these tactics, on February 20th Ankara experienced an unforgettable scene. Over 20,000 people came together and spent the night with Tekel workers. They were chanting, singing, dancing together ; it was the voice of working class that is coming onto the stage as a political actor after a long silence. Tekel workers are now teaching again how powerful organized workers can be. The crucial need for a greater working class organization and the need for realist working class politics have become apparent and begun to be discussed more efficiently. In that sense, the Tekel workers have already achieved much although a real solution to their problem will not come soon. Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières Turkey Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-203048-105-turkey-14th-among-countries-with-highest-taxes-on-tobacco.html http://tobacco.org/news/297747.html Turkey has moved into 14th place on a list of countries levying the highest taxes worldwide on tobacco products, with a recent rise in the private consumption tax (ÖTV) on cigarettes, which is anticipated to reduce the number of smokers by more than half a million this year. Turkey also has the second-highest taxes levied on tobacco products among countries that have the highest tobacco consumption, the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. According to a report on the economics of tobacco control and taxation of tobacco products prepared jointly by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the World Health Organization (WHO), cigarette users are expected to drop from 17.3 million to 16.7 million with the recent tax increases. Zaman Daily Newspaper Turkey Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-202206-105-finance-ministry-to-clamp-down-on-cigarette-smuggling.html http://tobacco.org/news/297330.html According to information from the Anatolia news agency gathered from anonymous sources in the Revenues Administration (GÄ°B), tax auditors will focus more on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products this year to fight smuggling. To achieve this goal a new directorate, named the Contraband Products Tracking Directorate will be established and special auditing teams will be created. Zaman Daily Newspaper Turkey Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=minor-stealing-cigarette-sentenced-to-seven-years-2010-02-21 http://tobacco.org/news/297321.html A minor was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison on charges of stealing a packet of cigarettes, daily Milliyet reported Sunday. A letter sent by the 13-year-old, identified only by his initials O.G., to a member of the Parliamentary Human Rights Inspection Commission revealed that the minor has been in a prison in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri for two years now. Ali Rıza Ertemur, a member of the commission, said they would follow the case and that O.G.'s files have been waiting at the Supreme Court of Appeals for two years. Hurriyet Turkey Sun, 21 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/7260677/Smoking-in-Tintin-cartoon-breaks-Turkish-law.html http://tobacco.org/news/297150.html Tintin, the fictional boy detective created by the Belgian writer Hergé, found himself in trouble with the law after an episode in the long-running cartoon series depicted villains puffing on cigarettes, in contravention of the country's strict anti-tobacco laws. The country's broadcasting watchdog, RTUK, fined the private TV8 channel £21,000 after ruling that Tintin Against the Chicago Mafia broke legislation banning broadcasters from promoting tobacco, the Guardian reports. Electronic Telegraph Turkey Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/17/tintin-smoking-fine-turkey http://tobacco.org/news/297149.html His do-gooder image as a scourge of ­villains has made him a mainstay of ­children's entertainment the world over for more than 80 years. But now Tintin, the evergreen fictional detective created by the Belgian writer Hergé, has found himself in trouble after an episode in the long-running cartoon series depicted him fighting hardened criminals who were smoking, in contravention of Turkey's tough anti-tobacco laws. The country's broadcasting watchdog, RTUK, slapped a £21,000 fine on the private TV8 channel after ruling that Tintin Against the Chicago Mafia broke legislation banning broadcasters from promoting tobacco. Tintin single-handedly brings down the leaders of the 1930s Chicago mob, but the triumph of good against evil cut no ice with Turkish regulators. The Guardian userhelp@guardian.co.uk (Robert Tait in Istanbul) Turkey Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100217/oddities/entertainment_media_turkey_smoking_offbeat_1 http://tobacco.org/news/297127.html Turkey's media watchdog has fined a private television channel over scenes in the Tintin cartoon that show Captain Haddock and other villains smoking. The Higher Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) said the broadcasting of smoking scenes was against a law on preventing the harms of tobacco and slapped a fine of 50,000 Turkish lira (33,200 dollars, 24,100 euros) on the station TV8, in a ruling posted on its web site. One board member objected to the fine, arguing that children can distinguish between the fiction and non-fiction and that smoking fitted with the features of villains, the Hurriyet Daily News paper reported Wednesday. Agence France Presse Turkey Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=police-detain-protesters-who-occupy-spanish-culture-center-2010-02-17 http://tobacco.org/news/297092.html Police have detained dozens of protesters who briefly occupied a Spanish culture center in Istanbul to draw attention to the plight of 10,000 Tekel workers who are protesting changes to their employment status in Ankara. The protesters had unfurled banners from the windows of the Cervantes Institute while shouting slogans urging the government to meet workers' demands for new jobs. The government has offered work elsewhere but only on 11-month renewable contracts. AP Spain Turkey Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2010/02/16/Mad-Men-smoking-draws-fines-in-Turkey/UPI-39261266335035/ http://tobacco.org/news/297058.html Two Turkish television stations were each fined $33,000 for airing shows such as the U.S.-produced "Mad Men" that feature smoking. The fines levied by the Supreme Board of Radio and Television were successfully challenged by channels E2, which airs "Mad Men" and TV8, which airs the popular French cartoon, "Tin Tin," the Hurriyet newspaper reported Tuesday. The stations argued the various programs had been produced before the on-air smoking ban was instituted, the newspaper said. UPI Turkey Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=53792 http://tobacco.org/news/296615.html According to the figures of Tobacco & Alcohol Market Regulation Board, smoking ban in all indoor areas including cafes, bars and restaurants which went into effect in Turkey in July 2009 yielded favorable results. 5,392,945,420 packages of cigarettes had been sold and addicts smoked 107,858,908,399 cigarettes in Turkey in 2008. 5,377,748,810 packages were sold and addicts smoked 107,554,976,198 cigarettes in 2009, the figures showed. World Bulletin Turkey Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=200830 http://tobacco.org/news/296611.html A ban on smoking in all indoor places in Turkey was a hot topic of debate about two years ago, but despite resistance coming from many business groups, the government was determined to implement the ban. Today's interactive toolbox Video Photo Audio Send to print Send to my friend Post your comments Read comments Many experts believe Turkey is the best example for the world as it embarked on a two-year journey to enact and successfully implement its ban on smoking. But even though Turkey’s smoking ban caused a decrease in the consumption of tobacco products, smoking remains a crucial problem in the country, experts say. Professor Mustafa Erelel, a specialist on chest disease, said he wants the government to continue its work to prevent people from smoking because the smoking ban has brought positive results. Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, Erelel said he thinks there are three ways to get people to stop smoking. Zaman Daily Newspaper advertise@todayszaman.com Turkey Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.stlbeacon.org/content/view/100122/482/ http://tobacco.org/news/296592.html On July 19, a new nationwide smoking ban, with the slogan "smoke-free airspace," went into effect. . . . The law will also bring Turkey more into line with laws in effect in the European Union, which Turkey seeks to join. The rate of smoking in the EU is about 30 percent. In few EU countries, however, is smoking such a part of the national fabric. In Turkey, tobacco is more than a national symbol, more than a national export, more than a habit. It is an integral part of a way of life. . . . For legions of retired and unemployed men, the ban in effect deprives them of one of their principal social pleasures. . . . Individual smokers have told the media they will continue smoking wherever they like, ban or no ban -- a situation that puts the proprietors of businesses in a tough positio . . . The government remains intransigent and recently hired 4,500 inspectors to enforce the law. Meanwhile, grassroots protest threatens to take more political form. . . . A ban should be just one part of a continuing national war against smoking, with realistic goals and adequate, steady funding. Support programs for quitters should be expanded and heavily promoted. Educational programs for children and adults are needed nationwide. The economic consequences for small businesses in a country like Turkey should be anticipated and mitigated as part of the government's plan. St. Louis Beacon Turkey Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.javno.com/en-world/turks-strike-in-solidarity-with-tobacco-workers_292878 http://tobacco.org/news/296534.html Thousands of Turkish public employees went on strike and many took to the streets Thursday to show solidarity with tobacco industry workers, locked in a bitter row with the government. Labour confederations called a nine-hour general strike, but the protest had a limited impact on vital services after some unions shied away and the authorities threatened disciplinary action against those who stopped work. Public transport was seriously disrupted in Izmir, Turkey's third largest city, the NTV news channel said, and occasional delays were reported on Ankara's subway. Miners, factory workers, clerks and employees of state-run power and water facilities across the country also joined the strike, media reports said. Agence France Presse Turkey Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.bianet.org/english/labor/119860-turkey-on-the-streets-for-tekel-workers http://tobacco.org/news/296532.html Turkish Confederation of Labour Unions (Türk-İş) President Mustafa Kumlu reckoned the general strike on Thursday (4 February) a success. Confederations discuss how to proceed Representatives of the six union confederations that took the joint decision for a general strike will meet today (5 February) at the Public Workers Unions Confederation to discuss how to proceed after yesterday's major protest action. Members of the Civil Servants Unions Confederation (MEMUR-SEN) joined the general strike only to some extent, a considerable part of the members did not participate. "Successful despite the pressure" Türk-İş President Kumlu said in an announcement, "The protest action to use our right not to work was a success despite the pressure and the threats of the governorship, the bureaucrats and the employers". Kumlu added that according to information given by representatives from provinces and districts, Tekel workers were supported by tens of thousands of people. BIANET Turkey Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/86467 http://tobacco.org/news/296531.html Millions of Turkish workers walked off the job (pictured) and into the streets on Thursday in solidarity with laid-off state tobacco firm employees. Public services including transport were disrupted across the country and the largest demonstrations were reported in Ankara, where around 20,000 massed, and Izmir, where 15,000 flooded the city centre. Workers also walked out at the Zonguldak coal mine, railway factories and a fireworks factory. According to Turkish law, workers are not allowed to hold a general strike or organise solidarity strikes. Morning Star Turkey Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT