FROM NOW ON WORKERS OF IKEA TURKEY ARE UNIONIZED!
KOOP-İŞ IS COMPETENT UNION TO CONDUCT COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT.
Mr. Alemdar: “Without harm the peace between workers and employers, we will improve workers’ rights and freedoms through mobilizing of social dialogue mechanisms in IKEA Turkey”
KOOP-İŞ affiliated to TÜRK-İŞ has finalised the organising activities those have been carried out in IKEA Turkey for a long time. Then KOOP-İŞ applied the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to get certificate of competency to conduct and has managed to obtain it.
KOOP-İŞ was carrying out organizing activities at IKEA Swedish multinational furniture, appliances and home accessories producer which operates in 48 different countries worldwide. Although KOOP-İŞ faced with different obstacles during the organizing activities, it carried out a persistent organising activity. Approximately 1845 workers are employed in IKEA Turkey. KOOP-İŞ went beyond the minimum requirements in respect to the number of unionized workers to obtain collective bargaining authorization certificate which are defined by the provisions of the related Turkish Laws.
TÜRK-İŞ Organizing Secretary and President of KOOP-İŞ Eyüp Alemdar delivered the following statement: Mr. Alemdar said that this organizing process was a crucial step in the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) stores. Mr. Alemdar emphasized that they would initiate the process to conclude the collective agreement.
Mr. Alemdar speech was as follows:
“IKEA is operating worldwide. The workers are unionized in the most of 48 countries in which IKEA operates, however the workers of IKEA Turkey were deprived of right to organize. Our union carried out a persistent organizing activity and the workers of IKEA Turkey unionized.
I would like to convey my gratitude to IKEA workers, who put a great effort and played an important role effort throughout the process.
Our aim is to improve workers’ rights and freedoms without harming the peace between workers and employers, and the institutional identity. I believe that the employer of IKEA Turkey will be more sensitive in dealing with the prospective workers’ issues”
In addition Mr. Alemdar says our union’s activities will continue in the retail sector.
Koop-Is, the Turkish commerce union, is celebrating after securing union recognition at IKEA following a long and hard-fought campaign.
Backed by UNI Global Union and its Swedish affiliates, the campaign has been a major priority for UNI Commerce and its IKEA Global Union Alliance for the past three years.
KOOP-İŞ President Eyüp Alemdar said that the organising process signals a crucial step in the retail sector in Turkey. “Without harming the peace between workers and employers, we will improve workers’ rights and freedoms through mobilising social dialogue mechanisms in IKEA Turkey,” Alemdar said.
“I would like to congratulate IKEA Turkey workers for their courage throughout the lengthy and at times very challenging process.”
UNI launched the IKEA Global Union Alliance in March 2012 in the Turkish capital Istanbul. Delegates from 20 trade unions and 14 countries joined the alliance to set about finding a global solution to local issues at IKEA.
The Alliance launched a mobilisation plan to support Turkish IKEA workers after IKEA’s Turkish franchisee Mapa refused to engage in dialogue with Koop-Is and openly resisted unionisation. The IKEA union has now secured recognition from the Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security which gives it negotiation rights on behalf of the workers.
Head of UNI Commerce Alke Boessiger called on IKEA Turkey to respect the decision of the Turkish authorities and enter immediately into negotiations for a collective agreement.
“We offer our congratulations to all IKEA workers in Turkey following this important win for union rights,” Boessiger said.
“It is now time for IKEA Turkey to follow in the footsteps of other multinationals such as Mediamarkt (part of German Metro Group) and enter into negotiations with Koop-Is for a collective agreement without any delay.”
IKEA, the Swedish multinational furniture, appliances and home accessories producer operates in 48 different countries worldwide. More than 1800 workers are employed at IKEA Turkey. Koop-Is has more than 770 members at IKEA Turkey stores in Turkey.
https://www.uniglobalunion.org/news/turkish-union-koop-wins-union-recognition-ikea
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