Trade Union Sues Media Group

The Turkey Journalists Syndicate (TGS) has filed a suit against Nurdan Acur, the Human Resources Manager of the Merkez Newspaper Magazine Group at the Istanbul Chief Prosecutors Office.

İstanbul

The Merkez Group owns the daily Sabah newspaper and the ATV television channel.

TGS claims that Acur has put pressure on employees to resign from the trade union. She is said to have handed out pre-prepared Trade Union Resignation Forms to employees of the Merkez Newspaper Magazine Press Publishing Company, whether they were members of the trade union or not.

Blackmail and threats

TGS further claims that the employees, who are currently employed under Labour Law No. 4857 were "threatened and blackmailed". If the employees gave up trade union membership, they would be employed under the Press Labour Law No. 212.

The Merkez Group illegally employs many of its journalists under the Labour Law No. 4857 instead of under the Press Labour Law 212. The social security contributions of the journalists are not paid according to their profession, but in the same category as other workers.

Acur is said to have persistently applied pressure and threatened people, and on 19 July, the TGS filed a suit against her for violating clauses of the Penal Code and the Trade Union Law by offering to employ people under Law 212 in return for the renunciation of trade law membership. The TGS has also complained about the fact that the Merkez Group's employees are not employed under Law 212.

The TGS has announced that it will closely monitor the case. It has also applied to the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Labour Social Security in order to record this instance of illegal employment and rectify it.

The Ministry in turn has informed the trade union that the TGS has enough members at the ATV television station to demand a group employment contract.

However, the Savings Deposits Insurance Fund (TMSF), which currently controls the Merkez Group, is contesting the majority and trying to protract the process, rather than negotiate with the syndicate.

The TGS has said that ATV employees are determined to take their struggle for legal and syndicate rights as far as is necessary. "We hope that the TMSF management and representatives of the ATV employer review their decision, which has caused further tension in this disagreement, as soon as possible." (EÖ/AG)