Politis

Why are Turkey's largest factories shutting down?

Published January 15, 2026, 05:16
Why are Turkey's largest factories shutting down?

There is a growing risk of production disruption at Turkey's largest factories due to strike action in the metalworking industry. Negotiations for new collective agreements have reached an impasse, with workers demanding wage increases of more than 10%. Work stoppages are already taking place and an escalation of the protests threatens to halt operations at major production facilities, including car factories, potentially causing delivery delays. The Turkish government is trying to find a solution to avoid production disruptions, as the automotive industry is a major 'engine' of the Turkish economy, while the defense industry is also affected.