16 November, 2009
ICEM’s Turkey Coordinating Committee, set up in 2007 by 14 Turkish affiliated trade unions, met in Izmir on 2 November for its annual meeting. The meeting, chaired by Mustafa Kumlu, Committee Chairman and ICEM Executive member, as well as President of the Türk-İş Confederation and Tes-İş trade union, was attended by leaders of Turkish unions. The meeting was held just before the ICEM World Materials Conference, jointly hosted by ICEM’s two affiliates in that sector, Çimse-İş and Kristal-İş.
Kumlu stressed the challenges that the Turkish trade union movement faces, particularly on union recruitment, and praised the ICEM’s pro-active efforts in Turkey. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda gave a detailed report on ICEM activities and projects since the last Coordinating Committee meeting, 20 November 2008. Warda’s remarks served as a base for discussions on the effects of the global economic and social crisis.
Turkey’s leaders reported on the difficulties arising from the crisis in the country.
ICEM’s Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer Kemal Özkan, who worked inside Turkey’s trade union movement, reported on ICEM past and future activities in Turkey, and gave special focus to the ICEM and FNV Mondiial Project on Capacity Building for Organising and Social Dialogue, on the campaign for ratification of ILO Convention 176 (the Safety and Health in Mines Convention), and on regional cooperation in the Middle East, Euro-Asia, and Balkans.
A highlight of the committee’s proceedings was Turkish trade union leaders welcoming the ICEM World Conference for the Chemical Industries, which will take place in October 2010 in İstanbul, thanks to the formal invitation of Petrol-İş, the Oil, Chemicals, and Rubber Workers’ Union in the country.
Also at the 2 November meeting, leaders of Çimse-İş and Kristal-İş discussed details of the 3-4 November World Conference for the Materials Industries, and two special reports were given by Turkish unions.
Mustafa Öztaşkın, President of Petrol-İş, presented a detailed report on the union’s recent organising campaign in Turkey that included a short video. He suggested that this media tool be expanded across Turkey. Commenting on the proposal, ICEM’s Warda proposed a special international session for sharing recent organising experiences and campaigns among all the ICEM affiliates.
Bircan Akyıldız, President of Türk Enerji-Sen, the Energy, Mine, and Industrial Public Employees’ Union, who also serves as head of a major public sector confederation, Türkiye Kamu-Sen, gave a detailed report on severe conditions that public employees face.
He explained that public-sector workers have no right to collective bargaining, or the right to strike, and this weakens them in their struggle to develop proper protections. Because of that, Türkiye Kamu-Sen and KESK, another major public-sector confederation, will jointly organise a one-day strike on 25 November throughout Turkey. The ICEM pledged to support the day-long strike, and will extend its global solidarity to this action, since it has members from both confederations.
The next meeting of the Committee will take place in October 2010 in İstanbul.