Tümtis has been organising in Aras Cargo for two years and has recruited the majority of workers, which is required by Turkish law to sign a collective bargaining agreement. This has been officially approved by the ministry of labour and social security.
In a letter to Aras Cargo chair and chief executive officer Evrim Aras on 10 November, ITF inland transport secretary Mac Urata said: “Tümtis is a reputable trade union that has been active in the transport industry in Turkey since its founding in 1949. It negotiates and holds dialogue with both UPS and DHL, which as you know, are both world-renowned cargo and logistics firms.
“Despite [Tümtis’] progress, your company filed a lawsuit denying the determination of majority by the ministry of labour. The ITF is also concerned that the members are under pressure to resign, and 13 – some of whom have worked at Aras for five to ten years – were dismissed for reasons such as ‘low performance’. These actions directly violate the freedom of organisation guaranteed by international agreements…and the Republic of Turkey’s Constitutional Law Article 51.
“In order to comply with national and international rules, your company must immediately stop the pressure against workers, and reinstate those who were dismissed.
“The ITF fully supports Tümtis’ legitimate request to initiate a process of negotiation and dialogue, with the aim of reaching an agreed collective bargaining agreement.”
Mr Urata also pointed out that the ITF and its unions faced similar tactics during earlier DHL and UPS campaigns, which he says worsened rather than resolved the situation. He added that in the end, both companies abandoned that approach and adopted dialogue as the most productive way forward. He hoped Ms Aras would agree that this was the most reasonable solution.
