Duke University

Staff at public hospitals will walk off the job from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday to push their demand for better working conditions.

According to the union of public hospital workers (POEDIN), the employees are working in deplorable conditions and are demanding wage increases, further training as well as an expansion of benefits.

While the unionization rate remains very low in Turkey, awareness of labor rights has increased over the past 15 years, according to Professor Cem Kılıç, an expert in industrial relations. 

The Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDIN) held a vigil outside the Finance Ministry from 8 p.m. Thursday to noon Friday. POEDIN members ended the vigil by building a symbolic brick wall at the entrance of the ministry.

Among other demands, POEDIN is calling for more funding for hospitals and and more permanent staff.

The Muslim call to prayer will sound from a bell tower at North Carolina's Duke University every Friday, starting from Jan. 16, CNN has reported on its website.

The Duke Muslim Students Association will issue the call for the weekly service, it reported.

The call will last three minutes and will be only "moderately amplified," the university has elaborated.