The contracts of two lecturers at Mugla University in south-west Turkey have not been renewed. Assistant Professors Lütfiye Kalayci and Aziz Erkan, employed in the Education Faculty, Arts Teacher Department, were active in trying to introduce more democracy to the unversity, according to the Mugla University representatives of the trade union Egitim-Sen.
Not the first violation of rights
According to the trade union, lecturers at the university experienced various legal and personal rights violations both before and after the election of a new rector. The dismissal of these two lecturers is the result of symbolic violence, and not the first:
More than the required points for academic employment
Kalayci, who is also a trade union representative, and Erkan have handed in files which prove that they have more than enough points to be reemployed by the university. According to Egitim-Sen's press statement, "The purge of trade union members and representatives who are trying to make Mugla University a 'democratic university' has been going on for a long time."
At Mugla University, trade union representation is still being developed. Teaching staff have a weekly work load of more than 35 hours. Dismissing the two lecturers from a department that only had three members of teaching staff to begin with is not only damaging to the staff but also to the public.
Rector not available for comment
"It must not be so easy for a university to act in such an arbitrary manner towards its lecturers. They have turned their back to the attractive job markets, have sacrificed a lot to do a doctorate and have preferred to work in academia."
The rector of Mugla University, Sener Oktik, was unavailable for comments as "he was in meetings all day". (GG/AG)