"Dismissed Turkish Metal workers file complaint to EBRD", 2 September 2015

Today, Birleşik Metal, an independent trade union in the Turkish metal sector, filed a complaint to the grievance mechanism of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), regarding the operations of its client, Türk Traktör. In May 2015, 30,000 workers in the Turkish metal sector, including employees of Türk Traktör, organized mass strikes to demand their right to establish their own unions. Although the management of Türk Traktör repeatedly promised that no one would be dismissed because of these actions, 20 workers were fired. The complaint, filed to the EBRD’s Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM), claims that Türk Traktör’s actions, including these dismissals, are inconsistent with the EBRD’s labour policy that commits to respect and protect workers’ fundamental rights, including freedom of association and right to collective bargaining...