19 September, 2011Global union organizations held their second annual meeting in Istanbul on September 8 and 9 in the presence of union representatives from both Turkey and across the world, and called on the Turkish government to change its legislation to guarantee basic rights of workers.
TURKEY: Participants from Global Union Federations and their Turkish affiliates, as well as the ITUC and the Council of Global Unions, came together in Istanbul on 8-9 September in an effort to develop joint campaigns to improve labour rights in Turkey. The meeting also welcomed international NGOs such as Labourstart and Amnesty International who consistently support labour rights in Turkey.
"To qualify as a modern and dynamic democratic country Turkey needs first to fix the clear deficit of rights that exists in Turkey today. A key part of this deficit is the absence of respect for rights at work for Turkish workers," read a statement by the GUFs following the workshop.
The use of various kinds of precarious employment is growing in Turkey, and the global unions supported their affiliates' common opposition to the expansion of the role of temporary employment agencies in Turkey.
In particular the unions urged both the government and private employers to stop the constant threats against workers and union leaders seeking to use and defend their rights - including the use of physical violence by police and security forces. They also demanded an end to the systematic dismissal of workers who choose to exercise their universal human right to join a trade union.
For their part, the present unions promised to engage in solidarity campaigns and mobilization, including days of action, to pressure and influence the behaviour of the government and employers.
The global unions will cooperate with their Turkish affiliates and among themselves to improve the quality and increase the effect of practical and concrete solidarity action, including ILO and OECD complaints and other procedures, to strengthen workers and their legitimate, democratic trade unions.