Muhacir Bulgarian Workers in Turkey: Their Relation to Management and Fellow Workers in the Formal Employment Sector

This article is concerned with Muhacir Bulgarians in Turkey - Turkish term for immigrants from the Balkans, particularly from Bulgaria. It considers them as a distinct sociological presence in the formal manufacturing sector of the Turkish labour force and examines their employment, means of material support, their position in the labour market, and their relation to management, trade unions and other workers. Possible future developments are considered. The article focuses mainly on those employed in the Bursa textile industry, but reference is also made to other workers employed in the Izmit triangle and its environs who work in the metal goods sector. Where possible, comparison is made with Turks of non-Bulgarian origin.