(11 April 2013) Turkish police forced themselves into the offices of GENEL-IS, 25 March. They were looking for people linked to a bomb attack. According to the information available this was an excuse to search the union offices. The police used it to intimidate the trade union leadership in a pattern that is familiar now. The International trade union confederation issues a strong statement condemning these attacks and asking the Turkish government to respect its international (...)

(7 March 2013) With almost 100 colleagues in jail, trade unionists of the public sector trade union confederation KESK are amongst the most prosecuted and harassed trade union colleagues in Europe. Many of these union colleagues are still awaiting their first hearing in Court. 22 colleagues jailed on 25 June 2012 out of over 70 arrested on that day have yet to see their first judge. There is no indictment even after 8 months. A delegation of KESK spoke with EPSU Deputy General Secretary to (...)

(19 February 2013) EPSU has been informed that almost 100 people have been arrested in raids including on trade union offices in Turkey. Trade unionists have been detained. The arrests are made in an attempt to find people linked to the suicide bomber that killed a security guard at the US embassy and which has been linked by the police to the organisation DHKP-C. EPSU rejects such acts of violence. We condemn the massive attack by the Turkish state ruled by the AKP on trade unionists of (...)

(20 December 2012) Hours after EU-Colombia Trade Agreement was signed, another assassination took place in Colombia. On 11 December, in the Colombian municipality of Puerto Gaitan, gunmen assassinated Milton Parra Rivas, an operator and electrician at Termotécnica Coindustrial SA, a subcontractor of Spanish-based CEPSA. This assassination happened after Human Rights Day and the demands by European trade unions, EPSU included, not to sign the Free Trade Agreement unless a Human Rights (...)

Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU (13 December 2012) We were waiting outside in front of the Ankara court building. It was almost four thirty. The staff of the Court had ushered us out while the judges were deliberating what to do with the three colleagues of KESK, the Turkish confederation of public employees standing trial. The three colleagues were put in jail on 13 February 2012 for their union activity. They were organizing events in preparation of Women’s Day on 8 March. The three (Guler (...)

(13 December 2012) Today in Ankara the court released the 15 female KESK (Public Service trade union confederation) members that had been jailed in February . We welcome the release of our colleagues and we would like to send them a warm message of solidarity after this victory. These trade unionists have been fighting for workers rights and trade unions in Turkey and this decision makes justice. We want to greet them for having fought all the way under a lot of difficulties to have (...)

The Turkish union Egitim Sen (Education and Science Workers Union), member of KESK won an important victory in a freedom of expression and association case. The union defends the right to be educated in one’s mother tongue. It had put this in the second article of its by laws saying that “it is the the right of all individuals to receive democratic, secular, scientific teaching, free of charge in their mother tongue”. The Turkish government prosecuted the union and threatened to close it down (...)

(5 October 2012) Amid massive support from trade union members, the first trial was held of the women of KESK and KESK affiliated unions like EPSU members Tum-Bel-Sen (All Municipality Workers Trade Union) and SES (Health and Social Services Workers Union), 4 October 2012 in Ankara. Hundreds of workers came from across Turkey to express their solidarity. They were joined by known media figures from music, arts and theatre and film as well as an international delegation including (...)

(3 October 2012) On October 4, 15 female members of the confederation of Public Employees trade unions (KESK) will be in court accused of belonging to a terrorist organisation, while simply trying to organise women workers and fight for better jobs and conditions. See more info: www.epsu.org/a/8690 These women trade unionists have been in jail since February 13 when the KESK headquarters and some of the houses of the arrested members were raided. These raids have to be seen in the context (...)

Turkish and French below (1 October 2012) On Thursday October 4, the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) calls for a solidarity picket outside of the Turkish Permanent representation to the European Union in solidarity with the 15 female members of KESK in jail since February 2012 that will be for the first time facing the judge. As there is no legal basis for their arrest. The women officers were arrested following a meeting in the KESK offices in Ankara to prepare their (...)