Court delays hearings on Sinter Metal

Once again the Turkish court suspended hearings and the fate of 350 workers who were fired for joining the union remains uncertain.

TURKEY: Protracted court hearings resumed on March 1 and were supposed to decide the fate for 350 Sinter Metal workers who have been fighting for reinstatement since December 2008 after they were fired for joining the union, Birlesik Metal - IS, an affiliate of the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF). A representative of the IMF attended the court hearing in the capacity of an international monitor.

Immediately after the hearings began on March 1, the company's legal team brought forward arguments saying their witnesses did not show up and requested a new court date. Emotion and outrage forced one of the union witnesses, the organizing director for DISK, to shout his frustration. Following his forcible ejection the company lawyer demanded to stop proceedings as he felt unsafe. The proceedings however went on and lasted only 30 minutes. Having listened to some witnesses and company reactions the judge claimed she needed to hear more testimony and scheduled the next hearing in six months on August 4, 2010.

The court has repeatedly delayed its decision, despite Turkish labour law requiring such cases to be resolved within two months. The long delay came as a surprise for the union legal team, who thought the case would carry on into next month with a decision within a few months. The union has serious reservations regarding judge's objectiveness.

The company claims the workers were terminated for economic reasons, however the company has hired replacement workers to fill the jobs and an investigation conducted by the Turkish Labour Ministry ruled in the workers' favour arguing that it was clear the dismissals were not due to the financial economic crisis.

The country's deteriorating labour rights and human rights record has sparked outrage and mobilisation efforts by the international labour community. On February 26, a delegation of six Global Union Federations, including IMF, and the International Trade Union Confederation visited the Turkish mission in Geneva to deliver a statement protesting the government's treatment of workers.

The International Labour Organisation is also sending a mission to Turkey to discuss the erosion of labour rights there. The mission will take place in the beginning of March.

For more information about the IMF/EMF joint campaign, please go to: www.imfmetal.org/SinterMetalMar 04, 2010 – Kristyne Peter