Some 15,000 Turkish metal workers started a nationwide strike on Thursday morning to protest poor wages and demand a better collective bargaining agreement with employers.

The strike started 7 a.m. local time at some 22 factories in 10 cities around the country, and some workers walked off the job at 9 a.m. after the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions failed to reach an agreement with the Metal Industrialists' Union.

The strikes are mainly in Bilecik province and Gebze near Bolu province. In Istanbul, workers from two plants took part in the strike.

Adnan Serdaroglu, head of the Trade Unions, said that workers in the metal sector are not being paid what they deserve based on their work environment and performance.

The union accused industrial employers of consolidating a system of cheap labor through its policies of providing smaller wage increases to low-paid workers.

The Kocaeli Chamber of Commerce has called on the government to take action to prevent the strike, saying "the strike will probably bring the industry to a standstill."