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Union victory for sacked subcontractor workers in Turkey
14 January 2009
Transport workers in Turkey who were sacked by two Unilever subcontractors have either been reinstated or received unpaid wages and compensation, thanks to a campaign of international solidarity.
The 79 workers represented by the ITF-affiliated union TÜMTIS and employed by Çipa and Şimşek, subcontractors of multinational corporate Unilever, were sacked in April last year as part of the companies’ union-busting activities. However, a concerted union campaign led to a management turnaround, which saw 15 of the workers reinstated and 64 of them, who did not wish to be reinstated, receive unpaid wages and compensation. The union campaign included: a lobby of Unilever management to exert pressure on its subcontractors; a 191-day picket by workers and solidarity action by unions worldwide. In addition, the ITF together with the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) and their Turkish affiliates brought the issue to international attention. In November, the ITF submitted a complaint to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development regarding Unilever’s anti-union practices.
Commenting on the success, Gürel Yilmaz, TÜMTIS General Secretary said: “It was really the international pressure that resolved this case. The joint meeting by the ITF, IUF and ICEM in Istanbul, followed by a solidarity meeting at our picket really boosted the morale of the strikers.”
Mac Urata added: "Whilst we won the dismissal case, we must continue to support the union to ensure that it has the right to represent these workers; the companies are currently challenging this right in court. We must also work together with the other global union federations to stamp out any anti-union behaviour by Unilever in other industries."
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