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Multinational urged to help resolve dispute at Turkish subcontractors
12 September 2008
The ITF is calling on multinational consumer product brands company, Unilever, to join efforts to resolve a dispute at two of its subcontractors in Turkey.
The dispute between the ITF-affiliated road transport union Türkiye Motorlu Taşıt İşçileri Sendikası (TÜMTIS) and Çipa and Şimşek, revolves around the dismissal of some 85 workers in April and May of this year. All the workers were union members. The action, it has been reported, followed the successful recruitment of around 300 workers into trade union membership. Company managers responded to these legitimate recruitment efforts by using anti-union tactics, among them staff dismissals.
In a letter addressed to Unilever Group Chief Executive, Patrick Cescau, ITF General Secretary David Cockroft stated that the dismissals not only severely impacted on the workers’ livelihoods but also on their right to freedom of association. The latter violated International Labour Organization standards, to which Unilever had committed.
He also suggested a “high-level” meeting between the ITF and Unilever as part of efforts to agree on principles that could be used to resolve the dispute.
“I hope that by reconfirming Unilever’s commitment to the principle of freedom of association in this way, we will be contributing to a fruitful and peaceful industrial relations scenario in Turkey, which can only be in the interests of all concerned,” Cockroft said.
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