''WE CAN'T GET OUR PAYMENTS!''

Here are the highlights from our interview...

"We have major problems with payments. People who can make healthy payments are already transferring their payments by bank wire. Some pay by cheques but they always bounce. There are a few companies like that; we have 190 thousand liras of unpaid debts at one of them and 60 thousand at another. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that they will pay! We sign contracts that require payment in 15 days but they are never paid."

"It Is Very Easy to Be Swindled in Turkey"

"We sued one such company who did not pay and it has been nearly 5 years since then. They found the company under somebody else's name; that's why we couldn't get anything. It is very easy to be swindled in Turkey. Debt collection is not just our cooperative's problem; it is happening at a lot of cooperatives."

"Things are barely moving. The state has to find a solution to this; the state has to be able to give us an assurance. It should provide us assurance, just as it does when it gives money to companies or when receiving credit from abroad.

"There Are Cooperatives Without an R1 Certification in Thrace"

"We're operating with an R1 certification; we can invoice our work as a cooperative and that's good enough for us. We can also bid in tenders with this certification. When there are transportation tenders in our own region, we can use this certification to make a bid. We could also make a bid at tenders with an L1 certification but the R1 is enough for us. You have to have 10-15 self-owned vehicles to get an L1 certification; however, that's not the case with the R1 certificate. Thanks to the R1 certification, we can invoice our work and our bids at tenders. Our other members already have K1 certifications and they can also invoice us. Those without a K1 certification can't invoice or transport. Unfortunately, there are cooperatives without an R1 certification in Thrace!  Today, it is much harder to get a certificate. The prices have gone up to 250 thousand liras."

"Our Union Makes Great Contribution to the Organization of Our Region"

"The main purpose of cooperatives is to ensure unity and integrity. Our goal is to offer services by acting together. Our parent cooperative, S.S. Thrace Motor Carriers Cooperatives Union also supports us. We are highly pleased with their work. All the carrier cooperatives at the Thracian Region are registered at our Union.  Our Union makes great contribution to the organization of our region. For example, here is one of the important decisions at our Union: "Each cooperative can only bid for tenders in their own region." Other cooperatives can't bid for the tenders inside another cooperative's region; if they do bid at such tenders, it would only be made to support that cooperative. Otherwise, as per the Union's decision, there are penal sanctions including fines or suspension from the union. I believe that, if it was not for our union, everybody would have fought and there would have been a lot of trouble. The union also helps us if we are short on cash."

"All The Members Must Unite"

"I would like to say a one last thing... The cooperative members need to change their minds and support the cooperatives. Some of our colleagues have a very individualistic view of the events. That should not be the case; all the members must unite, instead of slowing down the process."