Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2012, published 102nd ILC session (2013)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Türkiye (Ratification: 1977)

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its 2011 direct request, which read as follows:

Repetition

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in December 2011 containing detailed information in connection with the observation of 2009 and emphasizes the particularly illustrative contribution from the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-ÍŞ), the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DISK) and also the Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations (TISK). The Committee notes that the problems arising from the crisis of 2001 in Turkey have not been completely overcome, with more than 3 million unemployed in 2009. The unemployment rate rose substantially because of the global economic crisis, increasing from 10.7 per cent in 2008 to 14 per cent in 2009, according to TÜRK-ÍŞ, which emphasizes in its contribution the worsening of conditions of work and increasingly precarious employment. On the basis of the information provided by DISK, the number of unemployed, most of whom have been unemployed for more than one year, has increased by 35 per cent in two years, and the unemployment rate outside agriculture reached 17.4 per cent in 2009. Furthermore, according to DISK, the unemployment rate in reality is more than 20 per cent of the total population since persons not actively seeking employment are included in this figure, and the recent drop in the unemployment rate registered at 12 per cent in 2010 is largely due to a resurgence in rural employment, with more than 7 million workers forced to leave urban areas and return to precarious work because of a lack of occupational opportunities. The Committee notes the various projects launched by the Turkish Employment Agency (ÍŞKUR), with a view to increasing the employability of the long-term unemployed, supporting local employment and promoting entrepreneurial activities, with a total of more than 200,000 beneficiaries for 2009 and more than 180,000 persons enrolled in training courses in 2010. TISK also mentions two workshops held by the Labour Market Information and Consultation Board in 2009 and 2010, following which a preliminary draft of the national employment strategy was submitted to the Economic Coordination Board by the Government. The Committee notes that the preliminary draft of the national employment strategy has five main goals, namely to reinforce education, promote flexibility in the labour market, promote employment for women, young persons and persons with disabilities, and finally to increase job opportunities and social protection for workers. DISK would like to see the introduction into the national employment strategy of more measures relating to public investment in order to revive employment, while TISK and TÜRK-ÍŞ underline the need for adoption of the strategy without delay. The Committee requests the Government to indicate in its next report whether the national employment strategy has indeed been adopted and to indicate its specific impact. The Government is also requested to continue to provide detailed information on labour market trends and also provide an evaluation of the results achieved in the context of measures implemented by ÍŞKUR in order to promote full employment and minimize the impact of the crisis on unemployment.

Women. The Committee notes that the unemployment rate for women, outside agriculture, was 23.7 per cent in 2009, an increase of 4.6 percentage points by comparison with the previous year. According to TÜRK-ÍŞ, the highest unemployment rate was for women living in urban areas, whose rate of participation in education is considerably lower than that of the male population. According to TISK, the participation rate of women in the active population was 26 per cent in 2009 compared with 70.5 per cent for men and is considerably lower than the European average. The Government’s aim is to achieve a participation rate of 29.6 per cent for women by 2013. The pilot project launched in 2009 by ÍŞKUR in collaboration with the ILO has been implemented in three pilot provinces where the rate of activity for women is particularly low, namely Ankara, Gaziantep and Konya, where vocational training sessions have been provided for large numbers of women seeking employment. The Committee notes the establishment of an administrative council for the observation and coordination of women’s employment with a view to evaluating and ensuring cooperation among the various sectors which are likely to have a positive impact on women’s employment. The Committee also notes that, in the context of the programme conducted in cooperation with the European Union, an operation to provide support for women’s employment has been launched with the particular aim of providing training in entrepreneurship and advisory and occupational guidance services for 4,000 and 18,000 women jobseekers, respectively. A national committee for the monitoring and coordination of employment for women has also been established, one of the objectives of which is to ensure the observance of principles relating to gender equality at work and to take action against discrimination in the recruitment process. Finally, the Committee notes the implementation of more than 200 projects in 2008 and 2009 aimed at promoting the integration of, and equal treatment for, women in the world of work in the context of the social assistance project launched in 2008. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information in its next report on the measures taken to improve the employment situation for women and also on specific results achieved further to these measures. The Government is also requested to indicate the impact of the pilot programme conducted in the provinces of Ankara, Gaziantep and Konya, further to the technical assistance provided by the ILO, and also the results achieved in the context of collaboration with the European Union (Part V of the report form).

Youth employment. The Committee notes that the youth unemployment rate dropped significantly from 26.5 per cent in April 2009 to 21.2 per cent in April 2010. The Committee also notes that one of the objectives of the national employment strategy is to continue to reduce the youth unemployment rate. TISK underlines the importance of establishing an independent national policy for youth employment. The Committee notes that employers’ social security contributions for workers between 18 and 25 years of age recruited between 2008 and 2010 are covered for five years by the Unemployment Insurance Fund as an incentive to recruit young persons. The Committee also notes that a national plan of action for youth employment is being drawn up in the context of the UN Joint Programme entitled “Growth with decent work for all: National youth employment programme and pilot implementation in Antalya” conducted by ÍŞKUR in collaboration with the ILO. The aim of this programme, which has been set up in the most developed province of Turkey, is to identify the sectors of the economy which are most likely to generate decent jobs for young persons. The Committee also notes the establishment of close collaboration between ÍŞKUR and the Directorate-General of Trade and Tourism, affiliated to the national Ministry of Education, with a view to establishing an active employment policy aimed principally at young people. Tourist centres affiliated to ÍŞKUR have been able to provide training for a large number of interns, the majority of whom were subsequently able to find jobs. ÍŞKUR has also continued to organize training courses aimed at tackling the lack of experience of young jobseekers, with more than 60,000 young beneficiaries in 2010. The Committee requests the Government to provide an evaluation in its next report on the actions taken to ensure employment opportunities for young people, especially in the context of activities undertaken by ÍŞKUR. The Government is also requested to indicate the impact of the youth employment programme in Antalya further to the technical assistance provided by the ILO (Part V of the report form).

Small and medium-sized enterprises and undeclared employment. The Committee notes that the proportion of persons working in the informal economy increased from 41.8 per cent in 2008 to 43 per cent in 2009. TÜRK-ÍŞ, for which undeclared employment is one of the main problems in Turkey, confirms that in 2009 some 43 per cent of workers were not registered with the national social security institute. These figures coincide with those provided by TISK, which indicates that this rate increased slightly in 2010 and underlines that a greater number of specific measures need to be taken to tackle the informal economy effectively. A plan of action to combat the causes of the informal economy was therefore established in 2009 under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The objective of this plan of action is, in particular, to promote the formal economy in the eyes of the public, to simplify labour legislation and to promote better cooperation among institutions likely to have a positive influence on the problem of undeclared employment. The Committee also notes that the Administration for the Development and Support of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (KOSGEB) has continued to provide interest-free credit for entrepreneurs, particularly those that have taken part in training sessions in entrepreneurship, with a view to encouraging formal employment. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the specific results of measures established with a view to reducing the number of undeclared workers and to facilitate their integration into the formal economy.

Consultation of the social partners in the formulation and implementation of policies. TISK indicates that representatives of the employers and workers have been consulted in the context of formulating the national employment strategy. The Committee notes that TÜRK-ÍŞ indicates that it was not duly consulted. It also notes that, according to the indications provided by the Government in its previous report, a bill was also drawn up with the help of a number of non governmental organizations, including TISK, with a view to amending the rules concerning the operation of the Economic and Social Council of Turkey (EKOSOK). Although this bill was initially planned to reinforce the social dialogue mechanisms established in the context of EKOSOK with a view to ensuring a participatory approach to the development of employment policies, TISK indicates that so far there has been no follow-up action in this regard. The Committee requests the Government to provide further information in its next report on the manner in which the social partners have been associated with the formulation and implementation of active employment policies. The Government is also requested to indicate whether EKOSOK has participated in the formulation and review of the national employment policy.