The ETUC is calling on the European Commission to investigate the cases of recent arrests and detentions of workers’ representatives, breaching the respect of human and fundamental rights, and jeopardising the Turkish governments’ commitments to the EU in the field.
On 26 November, police forces simultaneously raided multiple trade union premises and the homes of workers’ representatives and took eight trade unionists into custody. Remzy Çalışkan, Vice-President of Disk, is among those who were transferred to prison and face the threat of a jail sentence.
An emergency ETUC delegation travelled to Ankara last week to investigate the evidence and charges brought against the trade unionists. The ETUC is now raising the alarm at a demonstrable lack of judicial independence and a failure to comply to international and European legal standards.
Under these circumstances, criminal sentences would constitute a breach of the Human Rights commitments undertaken in the EU-Türkiye association agreement and could compromise EU investments planned under the Türkiye investment platform.
ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch, who led the delegation, said:
“This crackdown is a major escalation in the intimidation tactics deployed against some trade unions in Türkiye. It suggests the government is willing to go to a whole new level in its use of the courts as a weapon to silence democratic stakeholders.
“Trade unionism is not a crime. These trade unionists were simply exercising their duty to represent the workers they were elected to represent.The trumped-up charges have no bearing on reality and the government must urgently act to rectify the situation.
“The fact that they were targeted is no coincidence and this crackdown bears the hallmarks of state intimidation and a coordinated attack on the trade union movement and on democracy itself.
“But workers will not be intimidated. The major mobilisations across the country are a clear demonstration of that fact and this attack is mobilising sister unions elsewhere too.
“It is working people who keep society going. The government would do better to work with them instead of treating them as an enemy. The European trade union movement is fully committed to seeing those held in custody freed.”
