IMM President Ekrem İmamoğluspoke at the ceremony held for the recruitment of 545 IETT personnel. Sharing the information that they have recruited a total of 1841 personnel, who had to work with a model that cannot receive equal pay for equal work, İmamoğlu announced that they are also planning to employ 2023 drivers in 700. When asked by journalists, "How did you respond to being offered the vice-presidential position," İmamoğlu said, "We read the issue as follows: It is a matter of continuing on the road by being united and united in the most correct way, no matter what. Because, believing that it should be the strongest locomotive of Ms. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Ms. Meral Akşener, the founders of this business, we came together with the view "How can we contribute to them". It was a correct configuration. Everything will be fine.”
The previous Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) administration gave the operating rights of 2018 IETT garages in the city to different companies in 4. Kurtköy, İkitelli and Çobançeşme garages were included in the operating model, which started with the Ayazağa Garage, respectively. Ekrem İmamoğlu The new IMM administration under his presidency has put an end to the system that creates clear differences in material terms among personnel doing similar jobs. First of all, 2 driver personnel working in Kurtköy Garage, whose operation tender ended on August 2022, 446, were included in the IMM. On October 1, 2022, with the end of the tender to operate the Ayazağa Garage, approximately 850 drivers started to serve within the IMM. The tenders for the operation of İkitelli Garage ended on February 20 and March 8. İBB added a total of 545 personnel working in İkitelli Garage to its body with the ceremony held today. At the ceremony held at IETT İkitelli Garage, IMM Deputy Secretary General and IETT General Manager Dr. Buğra Gökce and İBB President İmamoğlu made a speech.
“Our minds are always in the earthquake zone”
Pointing out that Turkey has experienced painful days due to the earthquake disaster affecting 11 provinces, İmamoğlu said, “I would like to state here that while we are fulfilling our daily duties and responsibilities, we have not neglected that region and fulfilled our responsibilities in the region at the highest level. Our minds are always in the earthquake zone. Of course, not only with our minds; we are there with our team, our equipment, our colleagues. Thousands of our colleagues have worked in the earthquake zone to this day, saved lives, carried water, brought food, took care of children, and they continue to do so. From infrastructure to superstructure, they make their presence felt at the highest level in the whole region, especially in the city of Hatay, which we are responsible for. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all my colleagues who are also your traveling companions and who contributed to that region. They are good,” he said.
“It is our duty to heal the wounds of the earthquake and to make Turkey earthquake resistant”
Saying, “We all have a duty to heal the wounds of the earthquake,” İmamoğlu said, “But by taking the highest level of precautions in order not only to heal the wounds of the earthquake, but also to never experience a similar destruction, policies that will ensure that the whole of Turkey, especially Istanbul, becomes earthquake-resistant, is the policy of our country. It is our duty to make it one of the most pioneering issues. I promise the people of the region, both as an institution and personally, that we will take care of our 11 cities at every moment, every minute, until the region rises again, and I repeat this in the presence of all of you. We will never leave our compatriots alone and we will definitely heal and wrap our wounds together. You will see, as of this moment, I promise in the presence of all of you that I will always be a companion who never stops voicing this issue as a pioneering issue, repeating it and putting forth the endless struggle until we achieve success on this issue.”
“We will employ 2023 drivers in 700”
Emphasizing that as the IMM management, they have gradually mobilized a careful work on fair work and fair wage distribution, İmamoğlu said, “This is actually an effort to give people their rights to their labor. I would like to herald and announce here that we are making a plan for the employment of 2023 drivers, which we need approximately, in 700. As IMM, we have never looked at the issues on a daily basis in a period of nearly 4 years. In other words, we never thought of adding another knot to the accumulated problem pool by saying 'Let's solve it today, we will see it tomorrow'. While establishing professional and intelligent mechanisms, we are very keen to implement strategies that will both eliminate existing injustices and solve the needs of our people in the most correct way, taking into account the future 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, not 'Let's make a mistake, let's manage today'. We care,” he said.
“It is Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu who expressed his stance against the issue of subcontracted workers”
Saying, “Today we are living in an environment where entrusting the work to those who know it gives us benefits,” İmamoğlu said:
“But I would like to give another right here. I was the district chairman of the Republican People's Party. Then I became the mayor of Beylikdüzü. From the very first moments of politics, which I have to give his due, Mr. Süleyman Çelebi is our previous term deputy who has put a lot of effort into this subcontractor issue since then. Afterwards, Sezgin Bey (Tanrikulu) is one of our deputies who fought the same struggle. But it is our current 13th Presidential candidate, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who voiced his stance against the issue of employing subcontracted workers. Let me underline that.”
After the speeches, İmamoğlu, CHP deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Küçükçekmece Mayor Kemal Çebi and former CHP deputy Süleyman Çelebi had souvenir photos taken with the staff members. After the photo shoot, İmamoğlu answered the questions of the press members about the agenda. The questions of journalists to Imamoglu and the answers of the IMM President to these questions were as follows:
“We will host Mr. Akşener on Saturday and Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu on Tuesday in Hatay”
– There is a very hot political agenda. After the presidential candidacy crisis broke out in the Six Tables, the crisis ended with you and Mansur Yavaş as vice president. Can we get your evaluation on this process first?
“We are looking ahead. Beautiful days await us. We are going through a very difficult time. Especially because of what happened in the earthquake zone. I just said it in my speech. On the one hand, we will manage our affairs that have full knowledge of every aspect of our beautiful Istanbul, and on the other hand, we will continue our relationship and dialogue with the earthquake zone in the strongest way possible. We are now in the time period when we need to focus on the issue entirely on Turkey's policies. In this context, we will host Mrs. IYI Party Chairman Meral Akşener, who contributed to the maturation of this process in a very high way, on Saturday at our coordination center there in Hatay. We will be hosting our 13th Presidential candidate, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in Hatay again on Tuesday, and we will be sharing our solutions and works regarding the earthquake zone and Turkey's earthquake issue. Now we're going to talk about the field. We will talk about our country. We will be talking about resilient, resilient cities, children, youth, women, education, all subjects. Istanbul is a big center. We will be sharing what we produce and what we will produce here in this field. On this journey, we started a powerful journey with a description of the process that contributed to the Six Tables and six leaders, including myself and my friend Mansur Yavaş, and did his best for our presidential candidate to become President on 14 May. good luck. God forbid. I wish him a good future for our country and our nation in advance.”
“My only feeling is; To be the people who put forth the mind that will win the election on May 14”
There is also a legal debate that the vice presidency and the Metropolitan Municipality cannot co-exist. Have you had any legal work on this subject?
“I don't have any feelings about the maqam description or such processes. I have only one feeling: to be the people who put forward the mind, strategy and courage to work that will win the election on May 14th. What did I always say? I will be the most hardworking soldier of this process. You will see that on the field.”
How will the election campaign go?
"We are working. Of course, the headquarters work. We are working. Our presidential candidate is running. We design the future in that sense with a mind in which these are systematically brought together and coordinated. There isn't much to say about him as of today."
There is also a local election in 2024. What we are all wondering is, if the Nation Alliance wins this presidential election, if you become the vice president, how would you behave in the local election?
“I wish it was possible to talk about such long-term things in the country. What do we experience even in 2-3 days? So let me just say to you, 'Everything will be fine' from today.”
"Issue; It is a matter of continuing on the road by integrating without being separated”
How did you respond to being offered the vice presidency?
“We read the issue as follows: It is a matter of continuing on the road by being integrated, without separation, in the most correct way, no matter what. Because, believing that it should be the strongest locomotive of Ms. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Ms. Meral Akşener, the founders of this business, we came together with the view "How can we contribute to them". It was a correct configuration. Everything will be very nice."
“All of Turkey is experiencing the driest period of the last 25 years”
There is a drought in the country. Does Istanbul have a problem with water? Will it happen?
“I am coming here from the meeting about İSKİ. Of course, a problem with the thirst alarm is not yet on Istanbul's agenda. But really, the whole of Turkey is experiencing the driest period of the last 25 years. So this is not just about Istanbul. Some dams have dried up in Bursa. It went to the very bottom in Istanbul and Ankara. When you look at the map, drought is the problem of the whole geography. We held this meeting this morning at İSKİ for about 1,5-2 hours. We have certain measures, from savings to many issues. We will have explanations about them. In addition, unfortunately for years, for about 6 years -it was to be opened 6 years ago, it even entered the seventh year-our strategy regarding drought and water, especially in Melen, Istanbul and Turkey, had already been prepared. We will be sharing his statements with my fellow citizens from Istanbul and all of Turkey in the coming days.”