Türkiye Haber-İş Union held an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Presidents after the layoffs at Türk Telekom. After the meeting, the board of directors' statement was published. In the declaration, it was stated that the employees of Türk Telekom were forced to leave their jobs and faced with intercity transfer practices, and asked to stop the dismissals, protect the rights of the employees and clarify the subcontracting practices. In the statement of the Board of Presidents, a call was made to the Türk Telekom management, stating that employees who did not accept the resignation offers offered under the name of incentives were faced with intercity assignment practices. In its statement, the Board of Presidents demanded that the job security of employees be protected, using the expressions "Stop the massacre of workers at Türk Telekom! Stop playing with the workers' bread."
WORKERS FACE THE THREAT OF LOOSING THEIR JOBS
The declaration noted that the subcontracting practice called ARTES, which was put into practice at the beginning of the year, has become increasingly widespread, and stated that hundreds of workers have been forced to leave their jobs through pressure, mobbing and threats in recent months.
The following statements were made in the union's statement: "The developments that hundreds of workers have been forced to leave their jobs through mobbing, pressure and threats in recent months reveal the gravity of the situation experienced at Türk Telekom. Moreover, the pressure on employees is not limited to the resignation offers offered under the name of incentives. Employees who do not accept these offers are this time faced with intercity transfer practices."
Emphasizing that employees are faced with appointment decisions extending from one end of Turkey to the other, the Board of Presidents stated that employees who do not accept the appointments face the threat of losing their jobs. The union described it as unacceptable that employees were forced to choose between keeping their jobs and leaving their families and cities.
'EMPLOYEES' FAMILY INTEGRITY IS DISTURBED'
In the statement, it was pointed out that the employees made significant contributions to Türk Telekom with the knowledge and experience they gained over the years, and it was stated that the decisions taken directly affected not only the workers but also their families.
Pointing to the state's policies to protect and strengthen the family, the Board of Presidents made the following assessment: "While our state's policies to protect and strengthen the family are obvious, practices that drag employees into the dilemma of being separated from their families or losing their jobs should not be allowed. If protecting the family is our common responsibility, these practices that threaten the family and future of the worker should also be stopped."
'COMMUNICATION SECURITY SHOULD NOT BE RISKED'
In the statement, which drew attention to the critical role of Türk Telekom in the country's communications infrastructure, the importance of preserving the technical knowledge, experience and corporate memory of its employees was emphasized.
In the statement, which reminded the responsibility of Türk Telekom employees in maintaining uninterrupted communication during the pandemic period, it was stated that the expansion of subcontracting in the core areas of activity of the institution may pose risks in terms of service quality, technical expertise and institutional capacity, as well as the job security of employees. The Board of Presidents requested that the effects of the subcontracting practice be explained transparently and emphasized that Türk Telekom management should adopt an approach that considers the rights of employees and the service capacity of the institution.
FIVE REQUESTS FROM THE UNION TO TÜRK TELEKOM MANAGEMENT
In its statement, the Board of Presidents of Türkiye Haber-İş Union made the following demands from Türk Telekom management:
• Stopping layoffs and resolving the grievances of dismissed employees,
• Stop forcing employees to leave their jobs through pressure, mobbing and threats,
• Transparent disclosure of the effects of ARTES subcontracting practice on the job security of employees, the institutional capacity of the institution and communication security,
• Respecting the union rights and democratic will of employees,
• Operating an effective dialogue mechanism with the union to solve employees' problems.
The union announced that it would expand its struggle if the acquired rights of employees are not protected and layoffs are not stopped.
