President Bozbey: “It is our duty to protect our tradesmen in the city.”

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey met with the heads of chambers affiliated with the Bursa Chamber of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (BESOB) to listen to their demands and suggestions. He stated that they are determined to resolve the issue of the Çataltepe Industrial Site, which has remained unresolved for years, and emphasized that the tradesmen are justified in this matter. He also announced that they would make arrangements regarding free parking due to complaints from citizens and tradesmen.

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey came together with the presidents and managers of the chambers affiliated with BESOB at the ‘Tradesmen Meeting’ program held at the Merinos Atatürk Congress Culture Center. The program was also attended by the Secretary General of the Metropolitan Municipality, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ergül Halisçelik, assistant secretaries general, department heads, and executives of the affiliates.

BESOB President Fahrettin Bilgit thanked Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey and his team for organizing the ‘Tradesmen Meeting’ where they expressed their problems. Bilgit explained that tradesmen have issues both generally and locally, stating, ‘There is the ‘Retail Law’ that has not been enacted for years. There are many significant issues for tradesmen such as the removal of rental withholding tax, high business rents, reducing the 9000-day SGK premium payment to 7200, and input costs. There is also the Çataltepe Industrial Site in Bursa, which seems never-ending. We want the important stakeholders of Bursa not to remain indifferent to this issue. We also want ease in licensing. We must fight against informality together. We want to cooperate with local governments in education. We know there is a need for staff in every sector. We can support our tradesmen friends with the staff we will train. I hope the meeting will be fruitful.’

‘Our tradesmen’s troubles are our troubles’

Mayor Mustafa Bozbey stated that they take the demands and complaints of tradesmen very seriously. Reminding that he is also a child of a tradesman, Mayor Mustafa Bozbey indicated that he knows very well how difficult, laborious, and valuable it is to be a tradesman. He expressed that the meeting was organized to speak clearly about the problems of tradesmen, saying, ‘We want our tradesmen to smile in Bursa. If tradesmen are happy, the economy is also heading in a good direction. The problems of tradesmen are our problems. Our tradesmen’s troubles are our troubles. We want to solve these problems hand in hand together. We want to continue this journey together. We organized this meeting to listen to the demands that the entire organization and chambers will express on different issues.’

‘It’s our tradesmen’s area’

Mayor Bozbey expressed that they attach more importance to the complaints of tradesmen during this economically challenging period and that they are acting sensitively. He said, ‘We feel obligated to protect the tradesmen in our city. There is no problem with our local tradesmen selling their products at local flavor festivals. But it is not right to come from outside and engage in buy-sell. It is our duty to protect our tradesmen and business people in our city. Çataltepe has always been our problem. We have held meetings together. Previously, 3600 people had invested money. A mistake was made during the transfer to the cooperative. We had previous meetings with the relevant parties. We will meet again in the coming days. We must find a solution to this issue. First of all, all tradesmen must be made members of the cooperative. After that, let’s do our part as the Metropolitan Municipality and provide support. We also see the transformation of Çataltepe into a medium-sized industrial area. That area belongs to our tradesmen. We must solve this problem. Although it is heavy, we have all put our hands under this stone. We will handle it because our tradesmen are justified.’

‘One hour free, after one hour paid’

Regarding the parking issue, Mayor Mustafa Bozbey mentioned that they made a promise before the elections, and as soon as they took office, they made the street parking free. He explained that due to increased abuses during this period, they received complaints especially from tradesmen, saying, ‘We conducted a survey with both tradesmen and citizens. Satisfaction with the application is very high, but when asked if it should be limited, they said yes, it should be limited. Citizens complained mostly about not being able to find parking, long-term parking of vehicles, while tradesmen complained about their storefronts being blocked and not being able to find a spot. So we told our friends, ‘Let’s make it one hour free. After one hour, it will be paid.’ We will soon implement this decision.’

Mayor Bozbey stated that there is no need for a new university in Bursa but that art schools should be opened and their numbers increased. He said they will establish the ‘Education Academy’ in collaboration with BESOB and that they are nearing completion of the work.