Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1999, published 88th ILC session (2000)

Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1978 (No. 151) - Türkiye (Ratification: 1993)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report. It also notes the observations made by the Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations (TISK) and the Confederation of Trade Unions of Turkey (TÜRK-IS).

The Committee notes the Government's statement that the Bill regulating the trade union rights of public servants was submitted to Parliament leading to the adoption of half of its proposed provisions. However, due to the requests of the opposition parties and some of the public servants' unions for its revision, the adoption process was suspended. The draft Bill now stands to be debated again by the parliamentary committees and Parliament together in a plenary session.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Office issued a circular dated 5 August 1999 concerning the public servants' unions which issued the following instructions to all the central and local administrative units:

... not to prevent public servants from organizing unions and confederations; not to interfere with the legitimate union activities by using the power of law enforcement; not to subject union executives and members to disciplinary proceedings for their union-related activities; not to hinder the convening of unions' general congress; not to restrict or ban the publication of informative documents about their organizations and activities; to deduct membership dues from the public servants' salaries, upon the written application of the members concerned, and deposit the dues in the union's bank account indicated by the union headquarters; to provide office space, within the available means, to enable the unions to carry out their activities and a billboard for the union-related announcements to be posted; and to take account of their opinions and proposals by establishing dialogue where necessary and to seek ways for cooperation.

The Committee takes note of this information. It trusts that the Bill regulating the trade union rights of public servants will be adopted in the near future and will ensure the application of the provisions of this Convention. It requests the Government to indicate in its next report any progress made in this regard. In this respect, the Committee requests the Government to reply to the comments furnished by the Energy, Road, Construction, Infrastructure, Title Deed Land Survey Public Sector Employees' Trade Union on the draft Bill on Public Servants' Trade Unions.