The strike began after negotiations between the General Services Workers’ Union of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (Genel-Iş, DISK) and the Union of Social Democratic Municipalities (SODEMSEN) broke down. The negotiations involved workers from IZELMAN, IZENERJI, and Egeşehir, all subsidiaries of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. Gathering in front of the municipal building located in Kültürpark, workers chanted slogans such as 'Whatever happens, long live the unions, long live DISK,' and 'Strike, revolt, resistance.'

Ercan Gül, Chairperson of Izmir Branch No. 2 of Genel-Iş, part of DISK, made the following statement: "They are trying to pit us against the public. Our wages have become the talk of the streets. The mayor claims he will consult the public about our salaries. Then he should also consult them about the salaries of the bureaucrats. We are transparently announcing our net figures, while they release gross figures. If the municipality truly wants to consult the public, it should first publish the actual wages we have requested.

One day, all others will leave, but the true owners of this municipality, the workers, will remain. They tell us, ‘How can you do this while the process in Istanbul is unfolding?’ But we were the first to take to the streets in the name of democracy. No one should expect us to step back from our current demands. They want us to give up the gains secured through collective bargaining. But they do not know the price we have paid to reach this point. We will continue to exercise our rights until a result is achieved. We have set out on a long road, and we will not give up."

Sedat Kenar, Chairperson of Izmir Branch No. 9 of Genel-Iş, also spoke during the demonstration: "Today, no worker in Turkey has a secure future. While the entire burden of life is placed on our shoulders, we must direct our struggle not against one another but against the system that brought us to this point. Stop throwing us in front of the people of Izmir. Workers are not demanding salaries of 80,000 or 100,000 Turkish liras. We are simply asking to receive the same wage as our coworkers who do the same job in the same workplace. Let us base this collective bargaining table on reality and put an end to this chaos. This strike benefits neither our municipality, nor us, nor the people of Izmir. It will only end if both the municipal bureaucrats, and we take concrete steps."