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ENERGY WORKERS IN TURKEY

ENERGY WORKERS IN TURKEY. TURIN * 2-6 FEBRUARY 200 9 Ugras GOK T ES-IS TRADE UNION. Where do we stand?. “ Current Situation of Energy Workers in Turkey ”. TES-IS. There is only one union organized in energy, water and gas sectors in Turkey which is an energy route cross cutting country.

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ENERGY WORKERS IN TURKEY

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  1. ENERGY WORKERS IN TURKEY TURIN * 2-6 FEBRUARY 2009 Ugras GOK TES-IS TRADE UNION

  2. Where do we stand? “Current Situation of Energy Workers in Turkey”

  3. TES-IS • There is only one union organized in energy, water and gas sectors in Turkey which is an energy route cross cutting country. • It has more than 120.000 members according to the official statistics. • Energy sector is under the coverage of privatization program. However, the procedure is not completed yet and therefore 80% of Tes-Is members are in the public sector. • It is affiliated to TURK-IS Confederation at national level and ICEM & EMCEF at international and European levels.

  4. Working Conditions of TES-IS Members • Wages and working conditions are better with respect to other sectors and there are well-developed social dialogue mechanisms provided by the collective agreement. “However, right to strike in energy sector is forbidden by laws”

  5. Most Important Challenges in Turkey • Deregulation of labor life and elimination of social state • Policies depending on IMF and World Bank programs negatively affect employment and working conditions. • Privatization, competitive environment, low labor cost and profit maximization perception of employers made it more difficult to organize • There are constitutional and legal restrictions on organizing rights • Pervasive informal economy (46.9%) is a serious obstacle to organize. • Despite the continuous economic growths, unemployment persists and does not decrease. (11%)

  6. Great majority of employers have hostile attitudes towards trade unions and put pressure on workers • Changes in the employment structures provided employers open gates to cut workers rights. • Instead of new employments sub-contraction is preferred even for the main duties of the enterprises. • Most of organizing initiatives result with dismissals because of lacking effective job security (35.000 Turk-Is affiliated union members are dismissed because of their trade union activities) • Multiplicity of unions and their competition • Lack of an effective social dialogue “Under these conditions people accept to work under indecent conditions”

  7. Legal Restrictions in Turkey • Constitutional and legislative restrictions • 1982 Constitution has an Anti-Democratic Nature • There are serious restrictions in Labor Act 4857 • Job Security Act is inadequate • Turkey approved ILO Conventions 87 and 98, however, the national legislation is still not adopted to these conventions

  8. Dismissals • Most of organizing initiatives result with dismissals • According to data we received from our affiliated unions, approximately 12.000 workers were dismissed because of their trade union activities in 2004, this figure raised up to 35.000 in 2008 • According to the statistics of Ministry of Labor and Social Security, 125.000 workers were dismissed and 1.171.000 workers resigned in 2006 • Labor Act 4857 does not provide job security to workplaces employing less than 30 workers. • 90% of the enterprises employ 10 or less workers

  9. Current state in Foreign Enterprises • Desired level of unionization could not be acquired • TURK-IS affiliated unions are currently organized in 27% of the first 100 foreign enterprises in terms of their revenues • This ratio increases to 34% and 44% in the first 50 and 25 respectively

  10. Current State in the First 1000 • 207 of the first 500 national and multinational enterprises are organized (41.4%) • Only 94 of the second 500 are organized (18.8%) • 30.1% are organized in the total 1000 “Trade Unions don’t Mean Inefficiency for Companies”

  11. What should we do? • An International Coordination Committee and national contact points should be established and engaged with organizing campaigns particularly in multinationals • Organizing teams should be formed and trained • International support should be given to national trade union centers in their relations with international financial institutions • A rational solution should be found to privatization and sub-contraction • Strategies should be settled in order to organize A-typically employed workers “Strong Trade Unions both at national and international Levels”

  12. Thank You For Your Attentions!

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