Turkish trade unionists in jail: TUC seeks meeting with Turkish Ambassador

Solidarity with Turkish trade unionists

KESK leaders remain in jail

21 August 2009

The TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has asked for an urgent meeting with the Turkish Ambassador over the continuing detention of twenty-two leaders and activists from the country's public sector trade union confederation, KESK. Their trial date has been set for 19-20 November, and there is a special website at http://freekesk.toplumsal.org/

The text of Brendan Barber's letter follows:

Dear Ambassador Alpogan

Detention of KESK members

I ... am writing again because of the TUC's deep concern that the following 22 members of KESK remain in detention, and that a trial date of 19-20 November has been set:

• Woman Secretary of KESK, Songül Morsunbul
• Woman Secretary of E??T?M SEN, Gülçin ?sbert
• Former General Secretary of KESK, Abdurrahman Da?demir
• Former Woman Secretary of E??T?M SEN, Elif Akgül Ate?
• Member of E??T?M SEN in Ankara, Lami Özgen
• Representative of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir/ Bergama, Haydar Deniz
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, Mine Çetinkaya
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, ?ermin Güne?
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, Nihat Keni
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, Mehmet Hanifi Kuri?
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, Sakine Esen Y?lmaz
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, Ayd?n Güngörmez
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, Mustafa Beyazbal
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, Harun Günde?
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, Abdulcelil Demir
• Law Secretary of SES in ?zmir, Yüksel Özmen
• Workplace Representative of BES in ?zmir, Meryem Ça?
• Member of BTS in ?zmir, Hasan Soysal
• Member of E??T?M SEN in Manisa/Turgutlu, Aziz Akiklo?lu
• Member of E??T?M SEN in Van, Hasan Umar
• Member of E??T?M SEN in ?zmir, Sueyda Demir
• Member of Secretariat of Turkey Peace Assembly, Yüksel Mutlu

To reiterate, the TUC sees in this instance the actions of the Turkish authorities as constituting nothing other than anti-union harassment, which is a serious infringement of Convention 87 on freedom of association of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which your country ratified in 1993.

The TUC shares the view of the international trade union movement in calling for the imprisoned trade unionists to be freed and all other threats of imprisonment against independent trade unionists for their legitimate activities to be lifted.

As a strong supporter of Turkish membership of the EU, I am seriously concerned also that the Turkish Government's continued repression of trade unions is giving those who oppose such membership a further opportunity to delay or postpone accession negotiations.

Given the seriousness of the situation I ask that we meet to discuss this matter further. I would also inform you I have written to the British Foreign Secretary and Minister for Europe with a copy of this letter and requested that should the trials go ahead for the detained trade unionists, that the British Government should arrange to have observers present.

Yours sincerely

BRENDAN BARBER

General Secretary