Organizing in Turkey
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In many companies in Turkey, there is a growing segregation and competition between formal and informal workers due to processes of privatization and outsourcing. For democratic unions it is a continuous struggle to survive. Complicated bureaucratic procedures make it hard to establish new organisations and to get a position within companies. In this situation it is important to organize these workers on the basis of their common interest, namely strengthening their position at the production line and on the shop floor. Training and sharing experiences are tools for capacity building and empowerment of workers.
TIE-Netherlands has established contact with three Turkish trade unions that use active approaches of organizing different kinds of workers at one working place. Their approach is innovative and challenging in an economic and political climate where many traditional trade unions are corrupt and bureaucratic and do not want to invest time and money in organizing flex workers. Workers increasingly ask the unions for assistance with the organizing processes on the shop floor. However, organizing in precarious situations demands a well thought strategy, guidance and a lot of time. Therefore, the unions face difficulties to come up to this demand.
The unions Birleşik-Metal İş/DİSK (Metal sector), Limter-İş/DİSK (Shipyard), Dev-Sağlık-İş/DİSK (Healthcare) acknowledge that privatization, the increase of informal jobs and subcontracting of workers demands new approaches of organizing and building workers organisations. Besides organizing formal workers, the three unions try to organize workers with short term contracts.
In many companies in which the unions are active (e.g. hospitals) there is a segregation of formal and informal workers. They do not share dressing rooms, lockers, and get different wages. In that way companies try to increase the level of competition between workers. They give out tenders for specific assignments and contract the person indicating the lowest salary.
In these cases it is extremely important to focus on organizing all workers at the same working place, independent of the type of contract and the type of work (fixed contract and short term contracted workers and outsourced workers). Dev Sağlık-İş, for example, tries to establish organizations at the working place, build collectively by the doctors federation (TTB), the public employees trade union SES (of KESK) and different types of workers (formal and informal, blue collar, doctors). Limter-İş tries to organize workers around issues of health and safety at the working place. Although there were some concrete results (e.g. after a strike to protest against unhealthy working conditions the companies are checked more regularly by health and safety inspectors) there were no changes in attitude towards independent trade unions. On paper companies declare that they respect workers rights but the reality is far from ‘friendly’. Unions that are able to mobilize many workers have to face threats. An executive and expert of Limter-İş, Süleyman Yeter was even murdered. Another obstacle is the yellow unions that are set up against them by the management at the moment democratic unions want to organize new groups. The workers are told that the union created by the management is the only legal union and that for dependence of their rights they should turn to them.
Although the three unions work with a different target group and in different sectors, their approach is similar in the way that it is characterized by grassroots level organizing (creation of workers committees) and emphasis on concrete actions (combined with training) instead of focussing on formal processes of negotiation with the management and the state. They use active approaches: organizing protests and strikes, interactive discussions and democratic strategy formulation in reaction to the changing environment), distributing of flyers and publications at billboards and on street walls. Limter-İş gave the example that, with the participation of their members they made a booklet with the ‘most frequently asked questions by workers in dockyards’ and distributed the book among members. This is a practical manual that workers can use when something happens at their workplace. Dev Sağlık-İş and Birleşik Metal-İş are involved in the organisation of a film festival taking place from 1-10 May. In marginalized neighbourhoods, they show movies made by workers themselves about struggles in their companies. Making the movies in itself has an empowering function. It is an instrument to gain more understanding of what happens at the workplace. After the movie screening the unions organize workshops and discussions in which workers have the possibility to share experiences and develop networks and joint actions.
The unions indicated that because their experience with active organizing (informal) workers, there is a rapidly growing demand from different regions to assist workers in their organizing processes. Organizing in precarious situations demands a well though strategy, guidance and a lot of time. Therefore, unions face difficulties to come up to this demand.
TAREM: Bringing together workers
The Centre for Social Research and Education (TAREM) tries to develop strong ties between trade union activists, workers and academia on national level. TAREM organizes seminars, national and international symposiums, panels, camps and foreign tours to bring together members of different Turkish trade unions (of which the three partner organisations within underlying project form part) and stimulate capacity building, exchange of experiences and networking.
TAREM executed different projects. They organized a range of forums on the international crisis, did some research on how to involve youth within trade union activities and focus on strenghtening women within existing trade union structures. One of the main activities of TAREM is the annual Young Workers Gathering. From 28 June – 5 July the Centre for Social Research and Education (TAREM), together with different trade unions from Turkey, organised the “World Young Workers’ Gathering 2009 in İzmir – Seferihisar. In the framework of this camp, TIE-Netherlands facilitated the participation of 15 young workers from three Turkisch trade unions (Birleşik-Metal İş/DİSK (Union Metal sector), Limter-İş/DİSK (Union Shipyard sector), Dev-Sağlık-İş/DİSK (Union Healthcare sector) and organised workshops on the method “comparative mapping of production process”. The aim for 2010 is to cooperate more closely with TAREM in the organization of the Young Workers Gathering and to facilitate participation of young trade unionists from different organisations part of TIE’s network.
Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights, Turkey:
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Bekijk alle foto's van de BMIS op de 1 Mei demonstratie in Istanbul op http://www.birlesikmetal.org/album/2011/2011-05-01_taksim/index.html |
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 Tussen 25 en 28 juni vond in Gönen, Turkije, een uitwisseling plaats tussen Turkse, Russische, en Nederlandse vakbondsleden uit de metaalsector. Het was een eerste kennismaking om een mogelijke samenwerking tussen de betrokken vakbonden uit de drie landen op te zetten.
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Tekel workers today (24 May 2010) occupied Türk-İş office in İstanbul and announced a new hunger strike |
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Once a place that Turkish authorities locked up for May Day celebrations of last years, more than 200.000 people gathered Saturday in Taksim Square and celebrated the day by dancing and chanting. |
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The workers have been on strike for more than two months to protest the privatization of the former state-owned alcohol and tobacco monopoly, or Tekel. |
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Today, there was a demonstration in Ankara to support the workers of TEKEL. Unions, Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş), Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DİSK), Confederation of Public Workers’ Unions (KESK) and KAMU-SEN, had a co-decision and arranged this demonstration. Members of these unions from all over Turkey came to Ankara to support the struggle of TEKEL workers. Mustafa Türkel, the chairman of Tek Gıda-İş, said that “We are no longer in defense but we are now struggling to have new rights!” Workers of unions will spend the night together with the workers of TEKEL. |
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http://www.emekdunyasi.net/en/article.asp?ID=135 A nationwide strike in Turkey in support of the alcohol and tobacco monopoly of the state Tekel stopped life most in western province of Izmir on Thursday. |
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The Human Rights Foundation Turkey holds the government responsible for the latest violence excesses against striking workers and union members. The foundation described the recent incidents as a "standstill of the law". |
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İşverenlerin örgütlü sendikal mücadeleyi bastırmak için tezgâhladığı senaryolarla DİSK/Nakliyat-İş Sendikası ve yöneticilerinin yasal/Anayasal hak ve özgürlüklerinin engellenmesini ve sendikamız üzerindeki baskıları protesto etmek ve gelişmelerle ilgili olarak kamuoyunu bilgilendirmek için 8 Aralık Salı günü 11:00’da Topkapı Ambarlar Sitesi’nde bir basın açıklaması yapıldı. Kaynak: www.disk.org.tr |
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Tens of thousands of public sector workers have walked off the job in Turkey to call for the right to strike. |
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Sendika.org Türkiye'de yayılan direnişin ve aktive olan sendikal hareketin nabzını tutuyor.
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Dev Sağlık-İş, Okmeydanı Hastanesi direnişi - İstanbul |
İzmir'in CHP'li Karşıyaka Belediyesi'nin, hizmetleri taşerona devrederek tasfiye ettiği Kent AŞ işçileri direnişlerini CHP Genel Merkezi'ne duyurmak için çıktıkları yürüyüşü sürdürüyor. İşçiler kadrolu çalışmak ve taşerona hizmet devrine son verilmesini istiyor. |
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In oktober 2008 voerde Birleşik-Metal İş actie tegen de sluiting van de Philipsvestiging in Istanbul.
Inmiddels is de vestiging ook daadwerkelijk gesloten en zijn alle werknemers op straat gezet.
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