A message of solidarity from trade unionists in T ürkiye

On the second day of UNISON’s local government conference, long-term friend of the union and trade union leader Mehmet Bozgeyik (pictured above, right) addressed delegates with a powerful speech. Mr Bozgeyik is co-president of the confederation of public employees’ trade unions (KESK), Türkiye. Opening his speech, Mr Bozgeyik thanked UNISON members for their ongoing support for trade union members facing different forms of harassment in Türkiye, which he described as an ‘autocratic’ country. Mr Bozgeyik continued: “As you know, Türkiye is not an isolated case in the world. There is a global trend of right wing populism all over the world. “We just had general elections, which could have been an opportunity to change the ruling party. However, as international reports show, there was no equality in the competition in these elections.” He said the elections were marked by polarisation and repressive policies, with the media playing a crucial role in spreading misinformation. He also described how, in the previous election in 2019, the government removed newly elected mayors and replaced them with state officers.  “We know that this appointment of trustees is a practice from the military regime, but it’s the first time under the civilian regime that the government has appointed trustees. When they began work, they adopted aggressive policies on trade union leaders, which resulted in dismissals of our members.” However, Mr Bozgeyik remained defiant. “We...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Article News 2023 local government conference gonul erden Mehmet Bozgeyik Turkey Türkiye Source Type: news