NEWS
Workers' Group of Turkey at the ILO : Letter sent by Memur-Sen to the main trade union confederations
08.04.21, Thursday
Below is the letter sent by Memur-Sen to the different Turkish trade union confederations of the private and public sector in relation to the consultations requested by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services, in view of the designation of the titular delegation to represent the Workers' Group of Turkey at the ILO.
Reference MSK.00.052 09-11
Ankara, 02 April 2021
Subject 109th International Labour Conference - Consultations concerning the designation of the titular delegation to represent the Workers' Group of Turkey at the ILO.
Letter addressed to the trade union headquarters of the
TÜRK-İŞ, HAK-İŞ, DISK, KAMU-SEN and KESK CONFEDERATIONS
Subject:
- (a) Letter from the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services, dated 03292021, referencing E-26579494-730.03.01-786411
- (b) Letter from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security dated May 24, 2017, referencing 68030602-720 [720]-E.43887
- (c) Letter from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security dated 19.04.2018, referencing 26579494-730.03.01-E.25967
Dear Presidents,
Further to the recent letter (a) from the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services addressed to our organization, urging us to inform the Ministry regarding the outcome of the consultations for the designation of the titular trade union delegation (with credentials), to represent our country on the occasion of the 109th International Labor Conference, which will be held from June 07 to June 18, 2021, in video conference.
Quoted in object (a), we assume that the said correspondence was sent to the main trade union confederations of the public sector, as well as the private sector. To our surprise, the letter makes no mention of the various confederations to which it was sent. We assume that the letter was sent to the 3 main organizations of the public and private sectors, as was the case in previous periods.
It is a proven historical fact that the questioning of the mode of designation of the titular trade union delegation in our country is based on an operating mode that is out of step with the reality of our World of work.
Footnote: Let us specify a historical and singular situation in Turkey, since by force of law, the trade union confederations of the private and public sectors cannot join together to form a unitary confederation (this footnote does not appear in the original text of the letter written in Turkish).
A misunderstanding that essentially affects the social dialogue. To date, with the exception of the year 2018, the TÜRK-IS confederation has exercised the role and office of full delegate of our country to the ILC for several decades.
In view of the increase in the number of members of the trade union organizations in the public sector, which today surpasses the number of union members in the private sector, not to take into account this fact is to deny the right of the public sector workers to defend their positions in the ILO.
In this regard, on the occasion of the 106th ILC (2017), it should be recalled that the consultations held under the auspices of the Ministry of Labor at the time had led to the establishment of a rotation system regarding the designation of the titular delegation, a principle that our confederation had called for with all its weight.
In fact, the letter a) written by the Ministry to the presidents of the different confederations in 2018 confirms the adoption of a rotation system: "... the TÜRK-İŞ confederation for the year 2017, the Memur-Sen confederation for the year 2018 and TÜRK-İŞ again for the year 2019 have been chosen to represent the workers' group of our country in the ILC. It is an established fact, this document confirms the presence of a rotation system started in 2017.
In addition, due to the 2020 pandemic, the 109th International Labor Conference that was to be held in 2020 had been postponed for the year 2021. However, in our exchanges with the authorities, we reiterated our position and our commitment to the rotation system mentioned in the paragraph above.
Faithful to our commitments on the principle of rotation that began at the 106th International Labour Conference,
We propose that:
(a) the consultations for the designation of the titular delegation on the occasion of the 109th ILC be endorsed by the joint signature of all parties concerned,
b) these consultations be an opportunity to raise questions about working conditions in Turkey, trade union ground, the global changes affecting the future of work and to exchange on the effects of the pandemic in the world and its impact on Humanity and Work,
c) the creation of a common work team in order to establish a common declaration that the titular organization will read in the plenary assembly,
d) the titular delegation be composed according to the criteria of parity between men and women, as recommended by the ILO.
Therefore, we would be pleased if you accept our invitation to come and debate at the headquarters of the Memur-Sen confederation on Monday 12.04.2021, at 10:00 am.
Ali YALÇIN
President
Addressees:
- Türkiye İşçi Sendikaları Konfederasyonu (TÜRK-İŞ) Genel Merkezi
- HAK İşçi Sendikaları Konfederasyonu (HAK- İŞ) Genel Merkezi
- Türkiye Devrimci İşçi Sendikaları Konfederasyonu (DİSK) Genel Merkezi
- Türkiye Kamu Çalışanları Konfederasyonu (KAMU-SEN) Genel Merkezi
- Kamu Emekçi Sendikaları Konfederasyonu (KESK) Genel Merkezi
Addressed in copy:
-Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services