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Turkish airlines reinstate its 305 sacked workers

A consensus accord between Turkish Airlines (THY) and the ITF-affiliated Turkish civil aviation union (Hava-Is) on 19th December will ensure the reinstatement of 305 sacked workers and end a 20-month dispute at the airline. A collective agreement covering 2013, 2014 and 2015 was also reached.

 

The 305 workers in question were laid off after taking action in May 2012 to protest against legislation banning strikes in the aviation industry. Despite court rulings in favour of more than 170 of the dismissed members of Hava-Is, the airline repeatedly refused to reinstate any of the workers. A significant ITF campaign was launched to support the union and “reinstate the 305”. In March 2013 the ITF, together with Hava-Is, lodged a complaint against the Turkish government at the ILO.

 

Commenting on the agreement, the union’s newly-elected president, Ali Kemal Tatlibal said that all 305 workers will be reinstated and that THY managers had also agreed not to hire part-time cabin crew and to shift existing part-time cabin crew contracts to full time jobs.

 

ITF civil aviation section secretary Gabriel Mocho declared: “We are delighted to see that a deal has been finally reached through proper negotiation between THY and our affiliate Hava-Is – showing that determination pays off. It’s a fantastic outcome that we hope will help the Turkish government to repair its tarnished reputation.”


December 24, 2013

ITF news online

Comments Off on Swazi civil aviation workers win wage battle despite ongoing employer dispute

Swazi civil aviation workers win wage battle despite ongoing employer dispute

ITF affiliates the Swaziland Transport & Allied Workers’ Union (STAWU) continued strike action against the Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA) over a wage dispute last week. Meanwhile, STAWU secured a cost of living increase in a dispute with Swaziland Airlink on 17 December, putting further pressure on SWACAA to come to an agreement with the union.

The strike against SWACAA, which started on 12 December, was called in response to apparent employer intransigence over a living wage for workers. When the union asked for higher wages to reflect cost of living increases, SWACAA management claimed to be bound by government restrictions on what they could pay. Management also stated that any increases beyond their offer would need to be approved through a complex structure, ending in Cabinet of Ministers approval.

When the Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration Commission (CMAC) ruled deadlock, SWACAA implemented its proposed pay rise – without worker consultation. The union called a strike in response, and a number of those who took part were reported to be facing arrest.

This is not the first time that Swaziland’s trade union rights record has been in the spotlight. Back in June, the country was name-checked in an ITUC report on trade union rights abuses, with a special focus on the illegitimate arrests of union activists in light of their opposition to the absolute monarchy in the country.

STAWU industrial relations officer Sticks Nkambule yesterday praised ‘the constructive tone of engagement from the management team of Swaziland Airlink’. ITF Africa regional secretary Joseph Katende hailed the wage victory: “This is a great example of a constructive relationship between management and staff– we congratulate Swaziland Airlink on their engagement with workers. We hope that SWACAA learn from and follow this example.”

The dispute with SWACAA continues.


December 19, 2013

Tunisia: stop the attacks on workers

Transport workers and their union representatives are being attacked, interrogated, and suspended by police, militia, government, employers and the media in Tunisia. They have had enough and have called a one-day strike on 12 December 2013 in response to the continuing erosion of workers’ rights. Why? Workers in the sector, belonging to transport federations FNT-UGTT, […]


December 10, 2013

Gate Gourmet workers fight to preserve their CBA (www.iuf.org)

Salaries and working conditions for the 122 Gate Gourmet workers at Geneva Airport have been governed since 1997 by a CBA negotiated by their union, SSP, the Public Service Workers Union. Despite improving profits at Geneva Airport, the company proposed salary cuts and fewer benefits in collective bargaining in 2013. Send a message to Gate […]


December 9, 2013

Airlines in Mideast look beyond their region (International New York Times Asia)

There is little doubting the ambitions of the giant Middle Eastern airlines, but recent large plane orders demonstrated just how aggressively these carriers plan to compete in coming years. The three airlines — Emirates, Etihad Airlines and Qatar Airways — all based in a small area, already operate more wide-body airplanes than all the American […]


December 2, 2013