THE PICTURE OF LABOUR RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN TURKEY State of Emergency (OHAL) Period11 and its aftermath The State of Emergency imposed between July 20, 2016 and July 18, 2018 has had grave consequences for working life. A large number of public officials and workers have suffered the removal of the right to work and job insecurity. Also, severe restrictions were placed on exercising rights related to trade unions and other collective rights of workers. Source: KESK - December 31, 2020, [KESK Protest on the Commission had State of Emergency concluded approximately and dismissals of Public Officers] 112 thousand applications out of a total of 126 thousand that had appealed their dismissal, rejecting 99 thousands of them.13 The Commission has been criticized by human rights organisations for not meeting the principles stated by 13 https://soe.tccb.gov.tr/#:~:text=The%20Inquiry%20Commission%20on%20the%20State%20of%20Emergency%20measures%20reviews,and%20the%20closure%20of%20some (accessed at 31.12.2020) The most widespread violation during the State of Emergency was on the right to work. Over 125,00012 public officials have been dismissed despite an absence of concrete evidence, have had severe restrictions on their rights to a fair trial, and were denied any means of defence. Not only have they been dismissed, they have also been stigmatized or declared guilty, some have been deprived of their retirement benefits, and many have faced obstacles in finding jobs in the private sector. Moreover, those who were dismissed have also had their passports confiscated, restricting their right to freedom of movement and right to work in another country. Source: Sivil Sayfalar - [KESK Protest on State of Emergency and dismissals of Public Officers] No to the unjust and unlawful dismissals! We will get our jobs back! In 2017, the Inquiry Commision on the State of Emergency Measures was established to serve as a special body, reviewing the emergency measures directly authorized by the decree laws, and providing judicial oversight. By 11 The information presented in this section is compiled from these sources: 1) DİSK report titled “State of Emergency (OHAL) and Working Life (July 20, 2017) [http://disk.org.tr/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/State-of-Emergency.doc] (Accessed on 26.08.2019). 2) Eşit Haklar İzleme Derneği “Toplantı ve Gösteri Hakkı İzleme Raporu-2017” [Right to Freedom of Assembly and Association Monitoring Report-2017” [https://www.esithaklar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Toplanti_Gosteri_Hakki_2017.pdf] (Accessed on 26.08.2019). 3) Evrensel Newspaper archives [https://www.evrensel.net] 4) Emek Çalışmaları Topluluğu “Report on Working Class Protests -2017 [https://emekcalisma.files.wordpress. com/2019/02/lsg_workingclassprotests_2017_v02.pdf] (erişim: 26.08.2019) 12 The number is quoted in : CHP Genel Başkan Yardımcısı ve Malatya Milletvekili Veli Ağbaba’nın hazırladığı OHAL’de Geçen 2 Yıl/ Sivil Darbenin Ağır Bilançosu” raporu [https://chp.azureedge.net/0742807ea67b4019a2980ff81540e145.pdf] [The report “Two Years Spent under State of Emergency/The Grave Consequences of the Civilian Coup d’Etat” prepared by CHP Deputy and Malatya MP Veli Ağbaba) (Accessed on: 26.08.2019). 24 C O L L E C T I V E R I G H T S O F W O R K E R S U N D E R T U R K E Y ’ S C O N T I N U O U S S TAT E O F E M E R G E N C Y T R A D E U N I O N R I G H T S I N E U R O P E A N A N D E U R O P E A N - A F F I L I AT E D E N T E R P R I S E S T H E P I C T U R E O F L A B O U R R I G H T S V I O L AT I O N S I N T U R K E Y 25