Communist
4th March 2010, 04:12
.
Union general chairman: Turkey is experiencing transformation (http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-is-experiencing-transformation-says-hak-is-confederation-general-chairman-2010-02-25)
February 27, 2010
GüL DEMİR and NIKI GAMM ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/2010_02_25/turkey-is-experiencing-transformation-says-hak-is-confederation-general-chairman-2010-02-25_l.jpg
Salim Uslu speaking in Taksim Square, Istanbul.
The general chairman of the Hak-İş labor confederation, Salim Uslu, is a serious man who has devoted his life to the labor union movement, not even taking time out for annual holidays or even weekends. For him, labor unions are here to stay whether it’s 10 years from now or 10 decades in the future.
While Uslu knows serious challenges and problems face the unions, these threats and challenges are the reason for their existence, as they are there to solve problems and increase social good. But, how labor unionism meets future conditions is a question that has to be answered. Capital has gone global so workers’ movements and union organizations can’t escape globalization. He pointed out in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that the Turkish workers’ movement has to read this process well, provide what suits it and move quickly in accordance with the new conditions. For example, new perspectives have to be developed, areas of service expanded and corporate structure changed.
According to Uslu, Hak-İş is producing new concepts of unionism such as information unionism or service unionism and developing policies and solutions. He believes the unions have to aim at strengthening international solidarity and cooperation. Obstructive laws and barricades have to be removed and a new industrial culture that uses information has to be developed. Uslu calls for new laws that would reflect European norms and standards to replace laws 2821 and 2822 because they belong to the past.
Ever since 1980, labor unions have been developing multilaterally within the system of industrial relations. Hak-İş has continued to develop and change – demonstrating concepts of decisiveness, principles, honor, knowledge, realism and being open to the world. These remind one of Uslu himself who describes himself as a democrat, independent, freedom-loving, principled and consistent as well as passionate about his work and principles.
Labor unions since 1980
The Sept. 12, 1980 coup in Turkey cut the labor movement’s main arteries and sent it into a coma, as Uslu colorfully describes what happened.
Following Sept. 12 there were large reductions in the number of unionized workers and in the real sense the number of unionized workers who benefited from collective agreements grew fewer.
Uslu continued: “Unions in Turkey naturally appeared quite late as a story of institutionalization. The basic reason for this delay was the lack of industrialization and enough workers who would have allowed unionization to gain speed. The existence and development of unions are connected closely with the political regime of that country and its laws and its economic and social structure.
“In spite of all the losses, I would not be mistaken in saying that the unions have played an influential role in always being the catalyst for change, development and renewal in our country; for providing social justice; for establishing social balance; for strengthening the social security and social protection systems; and for creating the public sector order with collective agreements and unions,” he said.
Uslu also said that the 1982 Constitution is not a civilian one and is the biggest handicap to Turkish unionization, to Turkish society in general and Turkish unions’ sense of freedom especially.
Asked how he would evaluate the present government, Uslu points to important steps taken in democratization and basic rights and freedoms under the government, and how it has earned the characteristic of a country that shows courage through democratic progress in the various problems of the people and that trusts in itself and produces acceptable solutions.
“However, in this process, various obstacles have appeared and the process has been truncated from time to time. The government is lacking on this note. However, compensating for these deficiencies without causing the process to be truncated and continuing to increase democratic initiatives will be of benefit to the country and society.
“As democratic initiatives continue to increase, the reality is that work life has to be democratized. For example, the global crisis that we went through in 2009 has once again brought out the necessity of justice from a social point of view for the balanced economy and a new sustainable model facility. Turkey must develop an integrated social model and policy and this model must rely on our country’s own realities.”
Support for labor action
The employees of Turkey’s former alcohol and tobacco monopoly, or Tekel, who have been on strike to protest the government's insistence on employing workers at the recently closed down Tekel leaf tobacco factory as "temporary personnel” are part of Türk-İş, a union confederation that is a rival of Hak-İş. The Hak-İş confederation is considered to be close to the government. However, Uslu emphasizes that his confederation is willing to put aside rivalries for the sake of the worker. He was invited to join the labor action being taken by Türk-İş Chairman Mustafa Kumlu and Secretary-General Mustafa Türkel. Türkel subsequently said Hak-İş wasn’t wanted but in the end Türkel resigned.
In the meantime, Hak-İş gave importance to dialogue between the Tekel workers and the prime minister and his ministers. Uslu emphasizes that the privatization period has been going on for 10 years and questions why the workers’ situation was not solved earlier. “If the concerned union and its chairman had as their goals solving the problems of the workers, opportunities would have been used to solve this problem without subjecting the Tekel workers to this misery. Governments, including this government, would have solved the problem by standing up to it.”
Asked about talk circulating concerning changing the Constitution, Uslu replied, “The 1982 Constitution is the source of the crises and chaos that is being experienced economically, politically and socially in Turkey. The present Constitution narrows the horizons of Turkey and society. Continuing with this Constitution won’t bring anything good to Turkey because it blocks Turkey from becoming a first-league country.
“Turkey remains faced with paying large bills both economically and politically because of internal political arguments. This Constitution that ties Turkey hand and foot blocks Turkey from becoming a global actor in its region. So there is a need for a modern Constitution that anticipates participation and mutual understanding; that takes man as its center; that rejects the sovereignty of ideology; and pays attention to historic, cultural assets, environmental influences and universal parameters,” he said.
“We give importance to and support work being carried out to change the Constitution. The reduction of basic rights and freedoms, the blocking of the democratic process and restrictions on the preferences of society in the Constitution of Turkey, which claims that it is a [prospective] member of the European Union, a democratic country and a modern state of law, must be changed in one clip. Purifying Turkey’s Constitution of all its anti-democratic fundamentals will increase Turkey’s credibility more and add strength to strength.”
He added that the new constitution must be a modern road map for a civil and democratic state of law and provide the opportunity to get over the problems of society and advance.
“The civil constitution is the excitement and will of returning to the agenda of the people, completing the EU harmonization process that will raise our standard of living, overcoming artificial crises, achieving goals of more democracy, more jurisprudence and more prosperity, experiencing the dynamism and pleasure of plurality and reaching contemporary civilization,” he said.
The Constitution’s legality in relation to social and economic rights and duties, union rights and freedoms must not be the accessory of the new constitution, according to Uslu, adding that it must escape from threats and prohibitions that touch on the essence of union rights and must create sound security for union rights that fit international norms.
“We have concrete requests and proposals for the new constitution toward the application of the rights and freedoms of liberal democracy in the broadest possible way.”
Transforming society
When asked how the unions that are a part of Hak-İş fared following Jan. 17 when changes were to take place in counting union membership, Uslu said: “The Social Security Institution was supposed to take over the statistics related to the number of unionized workers and non-unionized workers on Jan. 1 from the Labor Ministry, but the government abandoned the idea.”
According to this, the calculation of the unions’ authority will be done in the old way until the end of 2011, he said. That is, the Labor Ministry will continue to receive the notifications. Views were united on the topic of changing Law 2821 on Unions and Law 2822 on Strikes and Lockouts immediately, he said.
“Our priority request is that these laws that are the product of the coup be changed because they are the most important obstacles in front of unionizing and the collective bargaining system. On this side a positive step has been taken but no result has yet been achieved.”
As for the role of women in the labor union movement, Uslu stresses that Hak-İş gives the greatest importance to women’s roles and is taking important steps. They have done research on why women typically keep a distance from unions.
“We are bringing to life projects that focus on solutions such as day centers and education. We are providing room for special provisions related to women members in collective labor agreements,” he said, adding that they give special importance to women joining their meetings and work.
“On March 8, World Women’s Day, we decided to go outside the concept we know in the form of a symbolic congratulations. We will begin to prepare a plan of action for the work of the women that belong to the Hak-İş community with the administrators of our member unions, experts and representatives. In our activities, I think we will take an important step for the unnamed women in the unions today who will have a more influential place in our work and in our administrative cadres.”
Hak-İş has also called for emphasis on youth and opportunities for them in the work force. According to Uslu, Hak-İş has a strategy for the young workforce to make a promotional campaign about opportunities for the young. They held a meeting in Gaziantep in December where problems and measures for solution were debated and evaluated.
Out of the meeting came a strategic document that forms a road map. The idea is that the period ahead will be one during which the youth of the country will be brought to a state in which they are better equipped, and Hak-İş will contribute to this and work hard for it, according to Uslu. “As Hak-İş, we believe that the workforce of the youth is among the important and priority topics for Turkey.”
Turkey is in the process of transforming itself and Salim Uslu, as general chairman of the Hak-İş confederation, is part of that change.
“This social transformation is being experienced in every area, such as economic, political, social and labor life. Turkey is succeeding at this transformation in spite of difficulties. But Turkey will continue the successful process that is the road to being a democratic, laic, social, prosperous state of law.
As nongovernmental organizations, we also have to provide our contribution. Hak-İş is carrying all of its activities with this consciousness.”
============
Who is Salim Uslu?
Salim Uslu was born in 1955 in Corum, and after finishing high school, he worked in various places in the public and private sectors. When Hak-İş was founded in 1976, he became involved in union activities. Between 1980 and 1995, he served as the Hak-İş confederation’s general education secretary and Öz Gida İş union’s secretary-general. Since 1995, he has been general chairman of Hak-İş Confederation and Öz Gida İş.
He has written two books and is married with three children.
Union general chairman: Turkey is experiencing transformation (http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-is-experiencing-transformation-says-hak-is-confederation-general-chairman-2010-02-25)
February 27, 2010
GüL DEMİR and NIKI GAMM ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/2010_02_25/turkey-is-experiencing-transformation-says-hak-is-confederation-general-chairman-2010-02-25_l.jpg
Salim Uslu speaking in Taksim Square, Istanbul.
The general chairman of the Hak-İş labor confederation, Salim Uslu, is a serious man who has devoted his life to the labor union movement, not even taking time out for annual holidays or even weekends. For him, labor unions are here to stay whether it’s 10 years from now or 10 decades in the future.
While Uslu knows serious challenges and problems face the unions, these threats and challenges are the reason for their existence, as they are there to solve problems and increase social good. But, how labor unionism meets future conditions is a question that has to be answered. Capital has gone global so workers’ movements and union organizations can’t escape globalization. He pointed out in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that the Turkish workers’ movement has to read this process well, provide what suits it and move quickly in accordance with the new conditions. For example, new perspectives have to be developed, areas of service expanded and corporate structure changed.
According to Uslu, Hak-İş is producing new concepts of unionism such as information unionism or service unionism and developing policies and solutions. He believes the unions have to aim at strengthening international solidarity and cooperation. Obstructive laws and barricades have to be removed and a new industrial culture that uses information has to be developed. Uslu calls for new laws that would reflect European norms and standards to replace laws 2821 and 2822 because they belong to the past.
Ever since 1980, labor unions have been developing multilaterally within the system of industrial relations. Hak-İş has continued to develop and change – demonstrating concepts of decisiveness, principles, honor, knowledge, realism and being open to the world. These remind one of Uslu himself who describes himself as a democrat, independent, freedom-loving, principled and consistent as well as passionate about his work and principles.
Labor unions since 1980
The Sept. 12, 1980 coup in Turkey cut the labor movement’s main arteries and sent it into a coma, as Uslu colorfully describes what happened.
Following Sept. 12 there were large reductions in the number of unionized workers and in the real sense the number of unionized workers who benefited from collective agreements grew fewer.
Uslu continued: “Unions in Turkey naturally appeared quite late as a story of institutionalization. The basic reason for this delay was the lack of industrialization and enough workers who would have allowed unionization to gain speed. The existence and development of unions are connected closely with the political regime of that country and its laws and its economic and social structure.
“In spite of all the losses, I would not be mistaken in saying that the unions have played an influential role in always being the catalyst for change, development and renewal in our country; for providing social justice; for establishing social balance; for strengthening the social security and social protection systems; and for creating the public sector order with collective agreements and unions,” he said.
Uslu also said that the 1982 Constitution is not a civilian one and is the biggest handicap to Turkish unionization, to Turkish society in general and Turkish unions’ sense of freedom especially.
Asked how he would evaluate the present government, Uslu points to important steps taken in democratization and basic rights and freedoms under the government, and how it has earned the characteristic of a country that shows courage through democratic progress in the various problems of the people and that trusts in itself and produces acceptable solutions.
“However, in this process, various obstacles have appeared and the process has been truncated from time to time. The government is lacking on this note. However, compensating for these deficiencies without causing the process to be truncated and continuing to increase democratic initiatives will be of benefit to the country and society.
“As democratic initiatives continue to increase, the reality is that work life has to be democratized. For example, the global crisis that we went through in 2009 has once again brought out the necessity of justice from a social point of view for the balanced economy and a new sustainable model facility. Turkey must develop an integrated social model and policy and this model must rely on our country’s own realities.”
Support for labor action
The employees of Turkey’s former alcohol and tobacco monopoly, or Tekel, who have been on strike to protest the government's insistence on employing workers at the recently closed down Tekel leaf tobacco factory as "temporary personnel” are part of Türk-İş, a union confederation that is a rival of Hak-İş. The Hak-İş confederation is considered to be close to the government. However, Uslu emphasizes that his confederation is willing to put aside rivalries for the sake of the worker. He was invited to join the labor action being taken by Türk-İş Chairman Mustafa Kumlu and Secretary-General Mustafa Türkel. Türkel subsequently said Hak-İş wasn’t wanted but in the end Türkel resigned.
In the meantime, Hak-İş gave importance to dialogue between the Tekel workers and the prime minister and his ministers. Uslu emphasizes that the privatization period has been going on for 10 years and questions why the workers’ situation was not solved earlier. “If the concerned union and its chairman had as their goals solving the problems of the workers, opportunities would have been used to solve this problem without subjecting the Tekel workers to this misery. Governments, including this government, would have solved the problem by standing up to it.”
Asked about talk circulating concerning changing the Constitution, Uslu replied, “The 1982 Constitution is the source of the crises and chaos that is being experienced economically, politically and socially in Turkey. The present Constitution narrows the horizons of Turkey and society. Continuing with this Constitution won’t bring anything good to Turkey because it blocks Turkey from becoming a first-league country.
“Turkey remains faced with paying large bills both economically and politically because of internal political arguments. This Constitution that ties Turkey hand and foot blocks Turkey from becoming a global actor in its region. So there is a need for a modern Constitution that anticipates participation and mutual understanding; that takes man as its center; that rejects the sovereignty of ideology; and pays attention to historic, cultural assets, environmental influences and universal parameters,” he said.
“We give importance to and support work being carried out to change the Constitution. The reduction of basic rights and freedoms, the blocking of the democratic process and restrictions on the preferences of society in the Constitution of Turkey, which claims that it is a [prospective] member of the European Union, a democratic country and a modern state of law, must be changed in one clip. Purifying Turkey’s Constitution of all its anti-democratic fundamentals will increase Turkey’s credibility more and add strength to strength.”
He added that the new constitution must be a modern road map for a civil and democratic state of law and provide the opportunity to get over the problems of society and advance.
“The civil constitution is the excitement and will of returning to the agenda of the people, completing the EU harmonization process that will raise our standard of living, overcoming artificial crises, achieving goals of more democracy, more jurisprudence and more prosperity, experiencing the dynamism and pleasure of plurality and reaching contemporary civilization,” he said.
The Constitution’s legality in relation to social and economic rights and duties, union rights and freedoms must not be the accessory of the new constitution, according to Uslu, adding that it must escape from threats and prohibitions that touch on the essence of union rights and must create sound security for union rights that fit international norms.
“We have concrete requests and proposals for the new constitution toward the application of the rights and freedoms of liberal democracy in the broadest possible way.”
Transforming society
When asked how the unions that are a part of Hak-İş fared following Jan. 17 when changes were to take place in counting union membership, Uslu said: “The Social Security Institution was supposed to take over the statistics related to the number of unionized workers and non-unionized workers on Jan. 1 from the Labor Ministry, but the government abandoned the idea.”
According to this, the calculation of the unions’ authority will be done in the old way until the end of 2011, he said. That is, the Labor Ministry will continue to receive the notifications. Views were united on the topic of changing Law 2821 on Unions and Law 2822 on Strikes and Lockouts immediately, he said.
“Our priority request is that these laws that are the product of the coup be changed because they are the most important obstacles in front of unionizing and the collective bargaining system. On this side a positive step has been taken but no result has yet been achieved.”
As for the role of women in the labor union movement, Uslu stresses that Hak-İş gives the greatest importance to women’s roles and is taking important steps. They have done research on why women typically keep a distance from unions.
“We are bringing to life projects that focus on solutions such as day centers and education. We are providing room for special provisions related to women members in collective labor agreements,” he said, adding that they give special importance to women joining their meetings and work.
“On March 8, World Women’s Day, we decided to go outside the concept we know in the form of a symbolic congratulations. We will begin to prepare a plan of action for the work of the women that belong to the Hak-İş community with the administrators of our member unions, experts and representatives. In our activities, I think we will take an important step for the unnamed women in the unions today who will have a more influential place in our work and in our administrative cadres.”
Hak-İş has also called for emphasis on youth and opportunities for them in the work force. According to Uslu, Hak-İş has a strategy for the young workforce to make a promotional campaign about opportunities for the young. They held a meeting in Gaziantep in December where problems and measures for solution were debated and evaluated.
Out of the meeting came a strategic document that forms a road map. The idea is that the period ahead will be one during which the youth of the country will be brought to a state in which they are better equipped, and Hak-İş will contribute to this and work hard for it, according to Uslu. “As Hak-İş, we believe that the workforce of the youth is among the important and priority topics for Turkey.”
Turkey is in the process of transforming itself and Salim Uslu, as general chairman of the Hak-İş confederation, is part of that change.
“This social transformation is being experienced in every area, such as economic, political, social and labor life. Turkey is succeeding at this transformation in spite of difficulties. But Turkey will continue the successful process that is the road to being a democratic, laic, social, prosperous state of law.
As nongovernmental organizations, we also have to provide our contribution. Hak-İş is carrying all of its activities with this consciousness.”
============
Who is Salim Uslu?
Salim Uslu was born in 1955 in Corum, and after finishing high school, he worked in various places in the public and private sectors. When Hak-İş was founded in 1976, he became involved in union activities. Between 1980 and 1995, he served as the Hak-İş confederation’s general education secretary and Öz Gida İş union’s secretary-general. Since 1995, he has been general chairman of Hak-İş Confederation and Öz Gida İş.
He has written two books and is married with three children.