Global unions call for Deutsche Post DHL to stop union busting in Turkey after Courts rule workers’ dismissals unfair and linked to union activity

•    Turkish Courts find sackings of  four Turkish DHL workers linked to union activities  
•    Forum on Union Rights and Organising in Istanbul will call for stronger legal protections for DHL workers in Turkey
•    Global unions to join picket line for all 30 sacked Turkish DHL workers in Istanbul
•    ITF and UNI organise  DHL Families’ Day, a global day of action for families of sacked Turkish DHL workers, includes protest outside German Embassy, London
•    DP DHL accused of actively supporting “yellow” union in opposition to the legitimate choice of workers


Monday March 25 2013 - Three global labour unions, UNI Global Union, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, and IndustriALL will join Turkish unions, including Tumtis, at the Forum on Union Rights and Organising in Istanbul today and call for more legal protections and respect for workers employed by multinationals, including Deutsche Post DHL. The Forum will highlight how DP DHL is violating international laws and its own corporate social responsibility standards in Turkey.

DHL in Turkey has routinely undermined the free choice of employees to join a union, including dismissing 30 workers. The Turkish Courts have found in favour of all the workers who have appealed against dismissal and in four cases said that the sackings were linked directly to union activity.

UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, “The Turkish justice system has spoken.
DHL in Turkey has acted improperly by dismissing workers because they wanted to form a union. DHL management is on record as saying it would abide by the Turkish Court decisions. We call on DHL management to honour that promise, reinstate the workers and stop union busting activities.”

DHL management has been actively supporting a “yellow” union in Turkey in opposition to the legitimate choice of workers. The Forum will call for DHL and other multinationals, engaged in similar behaviour, to be held accountable by advocating improving and enforcing workers’ rights in Turkey. UNI, the ITF and IndustriaALL as well as the other global union federations such as the International Union of Food Workers (IUF) are aiming to reach a new level of cooperation to protect the workers in Turkey and elsewhere.

ITF’s Acting General Secretary, Steve Cotton said, “ITF and the other global unions have come together in solidarity with all the workers in the global supply chain who find themselves in an increasingly vulnerable situation. We will join them on the picket lines in protests at these dismissals.  The DHL workers who have been unfairly dismissed have our full support and that is why we have organised the DHL Families’ Day global day of action.”

DHL Families’ Day on Tuesday March 26 will highlight the plight of workers such as Dogan Ervan and his wife Dilay.

Dilay said, “He was a very dedicated DHL employee who even prioritised his work over planned family activities. When he is worried, the family becomes worried and unhappy. I support my husband in his struggle. I will be with him even if he stays on this picket line for years."

In London as part of DHL Families’ Day, a demonstration will be held outside the German Embassy in London, as the German government is a major shareholder in the company. Globally, supporters will be showing their solidarity with visits to local German embassies, and letters to DHL local management.

For more information see:

www.facebook.com/pages/Respect-at-DHL/138067789594599
/en/campaigns-solidarity/campaigns/dhl-respect-workers-rights-stop-union-sackings-in-turkey/

For more details please contact
Richard Elliott, UNI communications director. Tel: +41 79 794 9709. Email: Richard.elliott@uniglobalunion.org

Sam Dawson, ITF press officer. Tel: +44 (0)20 7940 9260. Mobile: 07850 736146. Email: dawson_sam@itf.org.uk