ATIK | Confederation of Workers from Turkey in Europe | AHM-ATIK News Center
TURKEY | 06 – 09 – 2012 | Turkish Airlines and Turkish Technic workers who are all members of the Turkish Civil Aviation Union (Hava-Is) have been on the picket line at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport, main hub for Turkish Airlines, for 100 days now.
Turkish Airlines and Turkish Technic have fired 305 workers via text message, email and phone call who took part in a legal protest, a “sick leave” action in protest over the oppressive amendment.
Although they are out on the street for 100 days, the workers remain solid and defiant.
Since the end of May, these workers have been fighting against an attack engineered by their employer who is attempting a cut in wages and working conditions by introducing a full-fledged strike ban in civil aviation industry.
After the ban, the High Court of Arbitration, an anti-democratic institution controlled by the representatives of employers and the government, shapes the collective bargaining agreements in civil aviation industry.
Hava-Is may also face a law suit for carrying out an illegal strike.
It is in the vital interests of all aviation workers around the world to stand in internationalist solidarity with these courageous workers in their battle. A victory for Turkish civil aviation workers would be a victory for all aviation workers.
In early days of July, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has officially launched a campaign backing the Turkish Civil Aviation Union’s (Hava-Is)struggle to reverse the ban on the right to strike and to reinstate 305 dismissed workers.
So far, the campaign has successfully prompted unions from across the world to support members of Hava-Is.
As ITF general secretary David Cockroft commented recently neither ITF family nor Turkish Airlines and Turkish Technic workers have the intention to give up the fight: “The 305 won’t go away and nor will we. The management of Turkish Airlines stands accused of a vindictive attack on its own workforce. Unpunished by a government that is its major shareholder, it thinks it has got away with it – but it hasn’t.”
However, we need more support to pile on more pressure on Turkish Airlines management and the Turkish government to reinstate the 305 dismissed aviation workers and end the strike ban in the industry.
The workers understand that this strike is very important in Turkey and internationally. They recognise that they have become a model for other struggles, and they do not want to cave in, despite the extreme hardship of such a long battle.
Hava-Is president Atilay Ayçin said: “As the leader of this union I spent all of my time at the picket line with our members. As a union leader for me this is a debt of honor. I was put into jail for defending workers in the past. I have been tortured for the same sin. I have been threatened for numerous times and subjected to physical attacks as well. I have been receiving threats for the last few weeks. Nevertheless, they neither be able to intimidate me, the Hava-Is leadership nor our members.
“For us this is a question of all or nothing. They won’t be able to transform us into a non-functioning union just collecting dues and bringing no improvement into the lives of its members. We will either win or smashed.”
See www.reinstate305.org for all campaign actions and news.
View a short video entitled ‘Brutally Yours’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY7gNy0_LXg) and share the link with your contacts.
If you have any suggestions contact the ITF civil aviation section (CivilAviation@itf.org.uk) and Kemal Ülker (kemalulker@havais.org.tr) from Hava-Is.
Kemal Ülker
On behalf of
The Turkish Civil Aviation Union
