KESK & DISK call for action in the context of the Taksim Uprising
Since some days now, massive demonstrations are held in a number of Turkish cities. The immediate cause is to be found in brutal police violence against demonstrators in Taksim Gezi … Continue reading
Red-and-yellow flags welcome in Taksim, union flags banned.
The center of Istanbul, Taksim Square, is becoming the scene of a political debate on the relation between the AKP government and the civil society. The square has an important … Continue reading
Unified or divided? The Turkish labour unions on the 2013 labour day
The history of the 1st of May in Turkey is rough: From the blood of 1977 to the violence the early 2000 Taksim battles (see earlier blog). Yet, in recent … Continue reading
Data on Turkish employment: a-typical work is a rarity but very a-typical work is widespread
In most European countries, the standard, typical employment relation is a full-time employment with a contract for an undetermined period. Nevertheless, due to market and societal pressures, more and more … Continue reading
Another 167 KESK members arrested
Today, 19 February 2013, a total of 167 arrest warrants were issued for KESK members under the allegation of being member of the extreme left DHKP/C movement. Recently the DHKP/C … Continue reading
ILO conventions and Turkey
Of the total of 105 ILO conventions, Turkey ratified 56, leaving 49 ILO conventions non-ratified. Turkey ratified all 8 ‘fundamental conventions’, 3 of the four ‘governance conventions’ and 45 of … Continue reading
Strikes in Turkey: An endangered event?
Organizing is strike in Turkey is not without danger. The legislative restrictions are strict and retaliation from the side of the employer is not uncommon. As a result, strikes are … Continue reading
Estimation of the unionization rate in Turkish Regions 2011
Union organizing in Turkey is not an easy task. The 2012 EU progress report on Turkey confirmed this by indicating that unionization (just as collective bargaining coverage) in Turkey is … Continue reading
Agreement on a new ‘Unions and Collective Agreement Law’ in the Turkish Parliament
On 18 October 2012, the Turkish parliament voted the long awaited ‘Unions and Collective Bargaining law’. This law replaces the post-80’s coup ‘trade union law’ (link) and ‘collective agreement, strike … Continue reading
EU Progress Report 2012: What about Industrial Relations?
On the 10th of October, the 2012 EU progress report on Turkey was published (link). As in previous reports, the EU evaluates Turkish progress on different fields, including trade union … Continue reading
Turkish Press Silent on KESK trials
On the 4th October 2012, 69 KESK members and administrators stood on trial for alleged membership of the KCK (link). For the occasion, a international mission of observers from different … Continue reading
KESK members on trial: 4 October 2012
KESK members on trial: 4 October 2012 On the 4th of October, the KESK-KCK trials will be launched in Ankara. In these trials 69KESK members are accused from giving support … Continue reading
Deadlock in collective bargaining in Turkey
Official membership statistics on Union membership are vital for the Turkish labour unions as they determine whether or not they are eligble to negotiate and sign collective agreements (more information … Continue reading
Türkiye sendikaları ve Wikileaks: “KESK’in her üyesini uyar, tutukla ve cezalandır”
Published on http://www.sendika.org Belçika Leuven Universitesi’nden Stan De Spiegelaere Wikileaks belgelerinde Türkiye sendikal hareketi üzerine geçen yazışmaları inceledi ve analiz etti. Spiegelaere blogunda yayımladığı bu belgelerin özetini ve kısa bir … Continue reading
Industrial Relations in Turkey 