Teachers dismissed at Italian High School: 'We will resist until the end!'

While the employment contracts of two of the teachers who returned to their school with their rights secured by an official signed record were terminated today on baseless grounds, union sources anticipate that the school administration will continue its wave of dismissals with other teachers.

Ministry Mediation and Consulate Commitment Violated

This struggle, which was closely followed by the public and set a precedent for the sovereignty of the Turkish legal system, had concluded with the parties signing an official record ending the strike, as a result of the mediation of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the official commitments of the Consulate General of Italy in Istanbul. However, the school's Italian principal has once again disregarded the law by openly violating international and local commitments signed under the guarantee of state bodies.

Systematic Pressure and Mobbing Applied for a Week

It has been learned that the teachers who returned to the school after the strike have been subjected to systematic psychological pressure, isolation, and intimidation policies by the school administration and some staff for a week. The termination of two teachers' employment on June 17, as the latest link in this chain of pressure, revealed that a clear liquidation operation has been launched against educators who have carried out a justified struggle that has become a matter of public interest.

Diplomatic and Legal Scandal

This injustice faced by the teachers, who organized under the umbrella of the Tez-Koop-İş Union and resisted by refusing to leave their rights to open-ended "letters of intent," has also caused a stir in the world of education. The fact that Italian officials, who defend trade union rights at the highest level in their own country, are displaying a vengeful attitude by ignoring Turkish laws and official commitments on the territory of the Republic of Turkey is being evaluated as a diplomatic scandal.

Union on Alert: Legal Process to be Initiated

The Tez-Koop-İş Union announced that all legal processes, primarily "union compensation" and "reinstatement" lawsuits, will be initiated without delay against these unfair dismissals. The union and the teachers are calling on the entire public, political parties, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and the Ministry of National Education to stand against this blatant disregard for the law and to support the Turkish teachers who are once again being subjected to injustice on their own soil.

Teachers whose union rights are not respected are calling out to the school's Italian administration, saying, “If you have the right to dismiss, we have the right to resist; we will resist until the end!”

‘We think the dismissals will continue’

Fırat Aydın from the Turkey Trade, Cooperative, Education, Office and Fine Arts Workers' Union answered 12punto's questions on the subject.

Expressing his belief that the dismissals will continue, Aydın said, “In our meeting with the legal counsel, a picture was painted for us that the contracts of all unionized workers would be terminated. We have such an expectation. When it comes to signing a collective bargaining agreement, the Italian High School administration says it has no authority; it can wait for months for approval from Rome. But when it comes to making dismissals, it can do so instantly. This situation shows this. It seems that the dismissal process for all unionized teachers has begun.”

‘Taken away from them’

Regarding the pressures applied, Aydın stated, “The strike ended on June 4. After the strike ended, on June 5, that is, the very next day, warning letters and disciplinary investigations began to arrive for the Turkish teachers. Defense statements began to be requested from the teachers. Defense statements were requested from Turkish teachers, that is, unionized teachers, on flimsy grounds.

Apart from this, the teachers' participation in the students' graduation ceremony was prevented by the principal. Some classes assigned to teachers were not given to them after the strike; they were taken away from them. This is another example. Furthermore, the reading of the National Anthem by teachers who were unionized and went on strike was prevented by the school principal. These are the most concrete examples of mobbing that have occurred within the last week.”

‘No response has been received’

Stating that the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security have been informed about this issue, Aydın said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been informed about this. Currently, we have not received any response from these institutions. We do not know what they will do or what kind of action they will take. Frankly, we are not even sure if they will take a step.”

News: Cenk BAŞBOĞAOĞLU