This report documents how the State of Emergency declared in 2016 has
led to a higher level of labour rights violations in Turkey. Even though
violations of labour rights did not necessarily start during the State of
Emergency, these violations have become more frequent and permanent
as a result of it. The State of Emergency, which officially ended, is still de
facto in place, especially for workers. Despite criticisms and warnings
from international actors and courts’ judgments, there has been no
improvement. The report provides examples of widespread labour rights
violations: the freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining
and strike, the right to peaceful assembly, and more broadly the freedom
of speech and assembly in general, which are guaranteed by ILO’s
fundamental conventions.
The curbs on labour rights extend to subsidiaries of European
companies. It is clear that the companies in question do not have the main
responsibility for this situation. Instead, it is a result of the official and de
facto State of Emergency, decisions of the government and its practices.
However, it can be seen that European companies also take advantage of
the situation and commit widespread rights violations in Turkey. In their
own countries, many European companies have to respect the rights of
association, collective bargaining and striking. They have well-developed
social dialogue mechanisms and established internal principles in
addition to international agreements. These standards are unfortunately
adhered to in a limited way by the companies while operating in Turkey.
The report argues that companies must improve their performance, in
particular since their practices are often in violation of the principles of
human rights compliance defined by the companies themselves.