ITF launches campaign for Turkish Airlines workers

 TURKEY | 09– 07 – 2012 | The ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) will launch a new campaign on
Monday for the reinstatement of 305 sacked Turkish Airlines workers and the
withdrawal of a swingeing new legal amendment that deprives aviation workers of
the right to strike.

Turkey
already has draconian laws that virtually outlaw what other countries regard as
normal democratic trade union activities. Despite this, in May an amendment was
proposed that would effectively ban all strikes by aviation workers. The
proposer, a member of the ruling AKP party, later admitted that he was acting
at the request of THY management. The legislation was rushed through in record
time, despite international protests. Wanting to demonstrate against it,
aviation workers who are members of the Hava-Is union went on a day’s sick
leave – the only form of industrial action allowed to them. Three hundred and
five of them were promptly and illegallysacked.

ITF
general secretary David Cockroft commented: “These sackings have proved that
what Turkish Airlines wants the Turkish government delivers – and vice versa.
Our aim is clear, the reinstatement of these workers and the withdrawal of the
new no strike amendment. The right to
strike is a human right.”

ITF
president Paddy Crumlin added: “There’s a clear attempt to make lawful trade
unionism illegal in Turkey. This latest attack is targeting Hava-Is, and
there’s little doubt that THYmanagement and the government would like to see it
destroyed. In the same month these sackings took place a vast police operation
swooped down on KESK, theTurkish confederation of public workers’ unions, and
the ITF affiliated BTS union, among others. Seventy-one trade unionists were
arrested on extremelyimplausible terrorism related charges. There’s little
doubt that the very existence of free trade unions in Turkey is under threat.”

ENDS