Health and Safety, Privatisation, Türkiye
Union takes protest action over doctor’s murder
The SES health union organised protests and work stoppages on 7-8 July in response to the murder of Cardiology Specialist Doctor Ekrem Karakaya at the city hospital in Konya in south central Turkey. The union is calling for action to ensure safe working environments, to enact effective legislation to combat violence and to abandon the kinds of health policies that it argues give rise to violence in the sector. It wants to see a health system that prioritizes prevention and the right to health and life rather than the provision of health services as a commodity. SES is also extremely concerned
Turkish and Dutch unions discuss resistance to privatisation and commercialisation of public services
The Turkish unions in DISK (like Genel-Is and Devrim Saglik-Is) and KESK (SES, Tum-bel-Sen) and the Dutch FNV met to discuss the impact of outsourcing, privatisation and commercialisation of public services.
Survey reveals realities of workers' pay and working conditions
A survey commissioned by the DISK trade union confederation reveals the low pay and long working hours faced by many workers across Turkey. Some 54% of all workers say they are “struggling to make ends meet,” while 71% of workers without any social coverage say the same. In contrast, only 19% of trade union members say they are “struggling to make ends meet.” However, union density is only at 13%. Twenty-four percent of all workers say they do not take any annual leave, rising to 48% among uninsured workers.The study also revealed that 44% of workers believe their health and safety conditions
Government decree ends outsourcing
The government has passed a decree that effectively ends outsourcing in central and local government. Outsourced workers in central government will be directly employed by the central government institutions while those in local authorities will be transferred to local authority-owned companies, rather than directly to the local authorities. The changes have been welcomed by trade unions although some have expressed concern about the difference in rights and pay and conditions for those in local authority companies and about the fact that the changes were implemented by decree with no