The operator who took over the bakery experienced the shock of his life.

Adem Aydın, who took over a bakery in Bursa, experienced the shock of his life two months later with a court decision he received. While there were 8 people working in the bakery he took over, he learned that there was another worker who had been working for 15 years without insurance in exchange for 5 loaves of bread a day, and he demanded 15 years' worth of salary, insurance premiums, and compensation from him.

Adem Aydın, who lives in Bursa, took over a bakery in the Arabayatağı neighborhood of the central Yıldırım district in 2013. At the age of 53, Aydın experienced the shock of his life with a court document that arrived two months after he took over the bakery. The employee who had been cleaning for one hour every morning in exchange for 5 loaves of bread for 15 years during the previous operator's time accused the new operator of employing him without insurance and demanded payment for his 15 years of premiums, salary, and compensation.

Adem Aydın stated that he learned about the existence of such an employee through the court document he received, saying that the employee came in the morning and he had never seen him since taking over the business.

"WE WERE LEFT WITH A WRECK"

Adem Aydın, a baker for 12 years, stated that he was shocked when he received the court document, saying, "I took over this bakery in 2013. There were 8 people working here. Two months after taking over, we received a court document. It turns out there was another person who had been working uninsured for 15 years. He came in the mornings and cleaned for one hour, receiving 5 loaves of bread in return. Of course, we learned this when the court document arrived. He filed a lawsuit because he was working uninsured, demanding payment for his 15 years of work, his insurance, and compensation. We have initiated the appeal process with our lawyer. I am left with a wreck; if the court rules against us, we may have to pay nearly 1 million lira," he said.

"PAY ATTENTION TO WHO WORKS WHEN TAKING OVER A BUSINESS"

Ahmet Pöge, a lawyer from the Bursa Bar Association, stated that the incident experienced by his client had no previous precedent and that employers should pay attention to this issue, saying, "My client took over this place in 2013. When he took over, there were 8 people working here, and no other person was visible. Later, he learned that there was a woman who came in the mornings to clean for one hour, and she had been working here for 15 years. However, since this was only a one-hour job in the morning, my client had no chance of seeing her. She comes at 5 AM and leaves at 6 AM. During the other times, she goes to her other job where she is insured. The important point here is that when taking over a business, we need to know not only who the employees are but also if there are others. Otherwise, you may have to pay the price for a 15-year process. With the counterclaim we filed, the court evaluated the payment demanded for 15 years based on 8 years since the employee was not full-time. We may have to pay the wages, insurance premiums, and compensation for 8 years. The public needs to be aware that when taking over a business, you should pay close attention to who is working with you. There may be people working secretly or in exchange for products like bread. Each sector may have its own special situations. Otherwise, you may become the employer of someone you do not know and pay a heavy price for it," he expressed.