Labour Behind The Label

In June 2010 the Brussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF) raised the Desa case in a formal ILO complaint against the government of Turkey.

Says Patrick Itschert, General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation: “In April 2008, Desa became aware that workers had been joining ITGLWF affiliate Deri İş. By the end of the week, 38 union members had been dismissed, while others had been forced to resign their union membership. Another wave of dismissals followed six months later."

Turkey’s labour laws are among the toughest in the world, and Desa took full advantage of those laws to deny workers their rights.

First, workers wishing to join a union have to visit a notary public – during working hours and at the cost of two days’ wages - to certify their membership forms. Desa closely monitored its workers and anyone suspected of visiting a notary public was dismissed. Desa then offered to pay the notary costs for workers to quit the union.

When workers do succeed in organising, the employer is only required to recognise the union for the purpose of collective bargaining if it represents 50% + 1 of the workforce at plant level and 10% of workers at sectoral level. Desa scoffed at the notion that the law is a floor not a ceiling, and claimed the law prevented it from recognising the union as the representative of its members until those conditions were met.

Unions that do not meet the double threshold are denied not only the right to bargain collectively but also the right to elect shopstewards whose role it is to handle grievances, protect the rights and interests of workers and supervise the application of working conditions. At Desa, management refused to talk to dismissed union members if a union officer was present.

Nor does Turkish law provide the remedy of reinstatement to workers dismissed as a result of their union activity.  When the courts confirmed that the workers had been dismissed because of the union membership, Desa simply opted to pay compensation rather than reinstating the dismissed union members in bid to remain union-free.

Last August the company and the union reached an agreement providing for the reinstatement of union members and the recognition of Deri-Is as the single authorised union at the factory, but the company has blatantly failed to uphold the terms of the agreement.

“Desa must now sit down with the Deri-Is to resolve this long-standing conflict, and Turkey must take urgent measures to amend its labour laws so that Turkish workers can at last enjoy the fundamental right to organise and bargain collectively”, concluded Mr. Itschert.

* This information was taken from a press release issued by the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation. The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation is a global union federation bringing together 220  affiliated organisations in 110 countries with a combined membership of 10 million workers.

For more information on the ILO complaint contact:
Patrick Itschert (General Secretary) at32/2/512.26.06 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Laura Carter (Assistant to the General Secretary) 1/250/354.2016 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Visit the ITG website at www.itglwf.org