Fernas Madencilik workers on Parliament's agenda: Emphasis on constitutional rights

CHP Group Deputy Chairman Gökhan Günaydın has brought the situation of 7 workers who were dismissed from Fernas Madencilik—a company owned by AKP Batman MP Ferhat Nasıroğlu—for being members of the Independent Mine Workers' Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş), to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM).

Submitting a parliamentary question for Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan to answer, Günaydın asked whether the right to unionize, regulated by Article 51 of the Constitution, had been violated.

EMPHASIS ON CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

In his parliamentary question, Günaydın drew attention to Article 51 of the Constitution, which regulates the right to unionize, and directed the following questions to Minister Işıkhan:

Is being a union member not a constitutional right?

Is it a crime to be a member of a union?

Is being a member of a union not the most natural citizenship right of every employee?

On what law do company bosses base their actions when they pressure and dismiss workers who unionize?

Can being a union member and demanding better working conditions be a reason for dismissal?

UNION RIGHTS AND INVESTIGATION DEMANDS

Günaydın asked for data on how many workers have been dismissed in the last year for exercising their right to union organization and reminded that the unionization rate in Turkey remains at low levels.

Questioning whether there is any work being done to improve union rights, the CHP member Günaydın also requested answers from Minister Işıkhan to the following questions:

How many inspections and investigations have been conducted into responsible companies in the last year to ensure the restoration of workers' rights and the security of their unionization?

What are the sanctions imposed as a result of the inspections conducted by your Ministry?

How many criminal complaints have been filed against companies that have unlawfully dismissed workers to prevent union activities? What actions have been taken against these employers?

News Source: 12punto