"STRONG, DISTINCT AND EXCLUSIVE VOICE"
OF TURKISH LABOUR MOVEMENT AND STRUGGLE:
HAK-IS CONFEDERATION

VISION AND MISSION

HAK-IS Confederation regards it essential to respect human dignity and rights, worker's rights, universal principles and values, international norms and standards, the Constitution and jus natural (natural law) rules.

It accepts it as its principle to defend and improve effectively the rights and interests of working people with an understanding of pluralist and truly democracy.
It considers the humans and labour as high values.
In order to reach this aim, it accepts the innovative, principled, responsible and resolute struggle as its own main duty and responsibility.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

President : Mahmut ARSLAN (Mr.)
Vice-President : Yunus DEGIRMENCI (Mr.)
Vice-President : Devlet SERT (Mr.)
Vice-President : Halil CUKUTLI (Mr.)
Vice-President : Mehmet Ali KAYABASI (Mr.)

AFFILIATES

At the present, HAK-IS is the second biggest trade union confederation in Turkey together with its 674.404 members.

HAK-IS took its first step as a new, original and exclusive voice in Turkish unionism in 1976. It has been continuing this feature so far in compliance with its principles by pursuing a steady attitude.

Nowadays, there are 21 affiliated unions under the roof of HAK-IS Confederation, covering all activities. The number of sectors are 20 defined by union law. This means that HAK-IS is organised in alla sectors. HAK-IS has one affiale union from TRNC (Turkish Republic of Nothern Cyprus).

1. Hizmet-Is Trade Union: All Municipal and Public Services Worker's Trade Union
2. Celik-Is Trade Union: Trade Union in Steel, Iron, Metal and Auto Industry
3. Oz Orman-Is Trade Union: Trade Union in Agriculture and Forestry Industry
4. Oz Gida-Is Trade Union: Trade Union for Workers in Food and Tobacco and Beverages Industry
5. Oz Iplik-Is Trade Union: Trade Union for Workers in Textile, Weaving, Knitting and Garment Industry
6. Oz Agac-Is Trade Union: Trade Union in Wood Industry
7. Oleyis Trade Unions: Hotel, Restaurant and Entertaintment Places Worker's Trade Union
8. Oz Guven-Sen: Trade Union of Private Security Workers
9. Oz Buro-Is Trade Union: Trade Union for Office Workers
10. Medya-Is Trade Union: Media Workers' Union for Turkey
11. Oz Maden-Is Trade Union: Trade Union for Mining Workers
12. Oz Petrol-Is Trade Union: Trade Union for Oil Workers
13. Enerji-Is Trade Union: Trade Union for Energy Workers
14. Oz Tasima-Is Trade Union: Trade Union for Transport Workers
15. Oz Finans-Is Trade Union: Trade Union for Bank and Assurance Workers
16. Oz Saglik-Is Trade Union: Trade Union in Health and Social Services Workers
17. Liman-Is Trade Union: Trade Union in Port and Customs Workers
18. Oz Toprak-Is Trade Union: Trade Union in Cement, Ceramik, Land and Glass Industry Workers
19. Oz Iletisim-Is Trade Union: Trade Union in Communication Workers
20. Oz Insaat-Is Trade Union: Trade Union in Construction Workers
21. KKTC Kamu-Sen: Public Servants Trade Union in The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF HAK-IS CONFEDERATION

HAK-IS Trade Union Confederation (HAK-IS) was founded on October 22nd, 1976 in Ankara. At the present, HAK-IS has 21 unions together with over 674.404 workers/members, including KAMU-SEN in Turkish Republic Northern Cyprus (TRNC). HAK-IS is also active in global trade union movement. Then, it is an affiliate of ETUC (The European Trade Union Confederation) and ITUC (The International Trade Union Confederation). The HAK-IS hitherto has passed different phases since its foundation year of 1976. This historical development period can be divided into 4 terms. These phases have shaped and moved along with political and social events in Turkey and evolutions realized by HAK-IS. In this framework, the first-four-year-period (1976-1980) may be named as 'foundation'; the following four years could be called as 'prohibited and lost years'; the sequent one may be titled as 'years of breakthrough' and the latest one could be tagged as 'improvement & advancement, opening up to the world and effective organizationin period' of HAK-IS Confederation. HAK-IS has faced the Coup D'e-tat of September 12th, 1980 when it was in its first years of struggle. According to the 8 numbered decree taken by National Security Council (NSC), all actions of HAK-IS Confederation has been stopped and banned. Then, HAK-IS went into action again in February of 1981 as a result of successful initiatives of the HAK-IS to reopen it. In spite of very hard conditions, HAK-IS Confederation and its affiliates has kept on organizational actions even in those prohition years of union activities.

HAK-IS Confederation and its affiliates has rapidly gotten ready for new period for unionism after the Trade Unions' Law and Collective Bargaing, Strikes and Lockout Act came into force on May 7th, 1983. Genuine identity and strong struggle of HAK-IS has significantly started to be visible and eligible after this date.

In this regard, HAK-IS has kept going by gaining momentum and getting intensive in terms of cooperation and solidarity activities with other unions, all democratic mass organizations (NGO's) and professional associations, its calls to fight together, joint resolutions and actions, campaigns to create awareness in the society, successful collective agreements, determined strikes, rallies, public demonstrations and mass training operations of its affiliates.

HAK-IS reel union function, effectiveness, opening up to the public opinion, increasing trend of its member's figure and achievement has started to become reality after this date.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The obligatory organs of the Confederation are Congress, Executive Board, Auditory Board and Disciplinary Board. In addition to these organs; there are Board of Presidents of affiliated unions, the Board of Members of all Executive Boards of affiliated unions. Regional, Provincial and International Representations in HAK-IS organizational structure. Congress is composed of delegates elected by the congresses of the affiliated unions in proportion to their membership figures and members of HAK-IS Executive Board and Board of Auditors. It gathers once every four years.

It is also noted that Research-Development (R&D), Statistics, Industrial Relations, Migration, Publishing & Media, Training, International Relations, Pensioners, Project Coordination, Citizens Abroad, Migrant Workers, Social Security and legal consultancy and attorneyship departments and experts who are specialised at the mentioned fields are available within HAK-IS Confederation.

Moreover, there are some specific committees such as The Women Committee, The Youth Committee, Committee of The Disabled, The Occupational Health and Safety Committee, Culture, Art, Literature and Sports Committees under the HAK-IS umbrella.

HAK-IS AND TRADE UNION MOVEMENT

HAK-IS definitely gives special importance to a new approach in the Turkish trade union movement that will, by getting involved in a restructuring process, take active roles in order to breed alternative solutions, to form new models and lead new patterns and set up effective mechanisms for probable solutions alongside the ongoing political, economic, cultural, social change and transformation process in the country and on the globe.

Therefore, HAK-IS creates common policies by making predictions about the future; it prefers getting involved in democratic mechanisms rather than trade union bureaucracy for more effective and quick social dialogue and alternative solutions. HAK-IS also tries to bring many mechanisms into force for a more powerful relationship between union and its members; leads to new models and does its best to evaluate the union-civil society, union-NGO's and union-public opinion relations in a correct way.

HAK-IS PROLONGS COOPERATION AND SOLIDARITY WITH
GLOBAL UNIONIST MOVEMENT

HAK-IS believes fully in the high importance of the Labour Diplomacy at international level. In this context, HAK-IS, by using the same language with global union movement, take it as its duty to fight against inequalities, unemployment, poverty, social exclusion, environmental damages, abuses in human rights and freedoms, all types of discrimination, terrorism, wars and to get involved in intensive cooperation and solidarity activities together with trade unions generally at global level and particularly in Europe, Euroasia and Midde East regions for better, stronger and more effective rights and freedoms and participatory and pluralist democracy.

HAK-IS SUSTAINS CONSISTENT POLICIES IN EU PROCESS

HAK-IS attaches high importance to European Social Model, its elements and high standards of basic rights and freedoms. Then, HAK-IS has permanently been maintaining consistent policies for the Turkey's membership process into European Union (EU). HAK-IS urges that Turkey must reach EU norms and standards and make its social transformation realized as a basic requirement.

- HAK-IS GIVES PRIORITY TO WOMEN ORGANISING AND MAKES THEM
- ACTIVE AND EFFECTIVE IN WORKING LIFE.

HAK-IS is definitely determined and sensitive to make contributions in order to solve all kinds of problems which women face in the life, especially when they enter into the working life and actively work and also to increase women's participation level in the union life and struggle.

In this context, HAK-IS Confederation and its affiliates have already completed the establishment process of women committees and the required regulations and amendments have been realized in their charts. Women Committee of HAK-IS Confederation does and implements vigorous activities in cooperation with other women committees, and their organisations through Turkey.

HAK-IS CONSIDERS THAT THE YOUTH IS THE FUTURE OF
TRADE UNION MOVEMENT

As a reflection of the HAK-IS view of deeming young women and men as the trade union movement future; HAK-IS Confederation, in this framework, does important works and implements distinctive projects by making cooperation and coordination with its affiliates, the related NGOs, public institutions and global organizations.

HAK-IS gives more attention and high priority to carry out its plans, projects and projections not only at centralised level but also local levels within a union perspective.

HAK-IS is, trying to fulfil its tasks and missions as a leading actor domestically and internationally, going to continue for public awareness at organizational scale, local, regional, territorial and international levels by building capacity and cultivating it.

HAK-IS' ROLE IN TRADE UNION MOVEMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

The first and foremost aim is to reach a stable and advanced, well functioning industrial relations for all aspects of the field. Within the context of this approach and aims, the actions and activities gain clear lines to be followed for HAK-IS. HAK-IS Confederation has been endeavoring to find ways of securing rights and fulfiling the duties to the society and workers by using all democratic means in real terms.

HAK-IS is in advancement progress steadily in the working life. The reason for this advancement is the HAK-IS perception and approachment as to put human being at the focus of its all actions by giving high value and importance to him; of its mission, principles, targets, proposals and critiques.

HAK-IS permanently emphasizes the necessity of generating a new industrial relations culture and makes courageous policies in this direction.

HAK-IS is in favour of the dialogue, consultation and peaceful methods, and against conflictual undestanding in its strategies and applications.

HAK-IS exactly believes in the necessity of 'consensus' and 'interest parallelism' and considers that NGOs should establish common initative groups and launch joint actions since HAK-IS considers and expresses at all platforms that democracy will get stronger in case quality and quantity of civil initatives increases.

HAK-IS's position and attitude in industrial relations are to be more visible and eligible by means of its activities and inititatives for proposing alternative social policies.

HAK-IS is always open to discussions, negotiations and consensus rather then being prejudge based on prejudices and pre-assumptions because it considers different discourses and point of views as source of richness.

HAK-IS is able to make self criticism in addition to discuss Turkey and the World since it has not trapped by fetichism of ideological notions.

In recent years, an extensive and large change and transformation process has been going on all around the world as a result and impact of globalisation. This process has deeply affected the industrial relations system and trade union movement. Therefore, this process has the unions require to break the routines and get rid of outdated attitudes and behaviours, then to adapt themselves the ongoing process by making proposals, offering alternatives, generating innovative solutions and adding new dimensions in the unionist struggle.

It is easily expressed that HAK-IS and its affiliates are able to analyse this process carefully by making self-criticism, developing new strategies, drawing road maps and preparing new action plans and carrying out them on time.

HAK-IS strives with heart and soul to propose new models and policies in all fields of the working life by taking care of the notions of social model, social dialogue, social responsibility, employment, production, productivity, competition, unionism, being organized in the working life, industrial democracy, competency, life long learning etc and by filling in the their context and by interiorising all them.

In this framework, the HAK-IS review that is published once every 4 months and international refeered scientific journal of 'Emek ve Toplum' (HAK-IS International Labour and Society Journal) issued by HAK-IS twice a year are landmarks in the working life

HAK-IS brings the new and vision based understandings of trade unionism forward together with exclusive terms such as 'scientific unionism', 'service trade unionism'.

HAK-IS has broken grounds, alongside a distinct unionist policy, by implementing unique, exclusive and exemplary projects in Turkey in order to meet requirements answer questions and propose solutions of the working life in our country. In this framework, HAK-IS and its affiliates have produced solutions for the related sectors in which its affiliates are active and organized through projects ranging from effectively implementation of Labour Act, establishing work councils, launching nursery practices in the workplaces for working women to disaster strategies, rail technologies, city councils, employment oriented occupational training, fighting against informal economy and employment forms, alienation of child labour, VOC-TEST centers and public awarness about occupational health and safety.

Innovative opinions, key solutions, distinct vision and solution oriented results have been achieved in this process by the means of building up occupational training and career consultation centers, signing bilateral social dialogue agreement at confederantional level for a practical dialogue between trade union and employer association, founding work council that would lead to legal regulations, establishing nursery center in the workplaces for solving baby and child care problems of working women and preparing, issuing and distributing of innovative training models in disaster strategies and rail technologies.

PERMANENT INSTITUTIONS, BOARDS, COUNCILS, COMMITTES AND PLATFORMS AT WHICH HAK-IS CONFEDERATION IS ACTIVE AND BEING REPRESENTED

I- PARTICIPATION IN NATIONAL COMMITTEES, BOARDS AND COUNCILS
The national boards, committees, councils and commissions where HAK-IS Confederation is represented as followings:

• Turkish Economic and Social Council (ESC in the Development Ministry)
• Vocational Qualifications Authority (VQA in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• Working Assembly (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• Tripartite Advisory Board (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• Advisory Board of National Social Security (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• Congress of Social Security Institution (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• National Council for Occupational Health and Safety (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• IS-KUR Congress (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• IS-KUR Advisory Committee of National Employment Policy (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• IS-KUR Labour Market Consultation Council (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• Provincial Employment and Occupational Training Boards (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• Platform of Civil Initiative Labour
• Turkey-EU Trade Union Coordination Committee
• Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Commission of Encouraging Employment
• National Advisory Board of the Project of Privatization Social Support
• Specialization Commissions in the Development Ministry (ex.State Planning Organization)
• Board of Human Rights (The Prime Ministry)
• Turkish National Consumer Council (TNCC in the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology)
• Board of Advertisement (in the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology)
• National Surveillance and Coordination Council of Women Employment (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• UN Joint Programme: National Youth Employment - National Technical Team (ILO)
• Surveillance and Assessment Board of Strengthening Relation Between Employment and Occupational Training (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)
• Employment Technical Committee (ETC) in the Coordination Council of Investment Environment Rehabilitation (YOIKK - in the Ministry of Economy)
• Surveillance and Coordination Council of Industrial Strategies (in the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology)
• Council of Combatting Mobbing (in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security)

II- MEMBERSHIPS AND MISSIONS AT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

HAK-IS has vast and good relations with trade union organizations in various countries and international trade union organisations such as ITUC and ETUC.

• ETUC
• ITUC
• ILO (International Labour Organisation)
  HAK-IS has been represented in the Workers delegation of Turkey to the ILO since 1997.
• The EU-Turkey Joint Consultative Economic and Social Committee:
• ETUC Congress and Executive Board
• ITUC Congress and Executive Board
• PAN-European Regional Council (PERC) Executive Board
• ITUC AP (Asia Pacific) Congress and Executive Board
• ITUC Women Committees' Congress
• ETUC Women PERC Executive Board
• ETUC Women Committees' Executive Board
• PERC Women Committees' Executive Board
• ITUC Youth Committee's Congress
• ITUC World Permanent Youth Committee
• ETUC Youth Committees' Congress
• PERC Youth Committee Presidency
• ILERA (International Labour and Employment Relations Associations)
• EU Advisory Committee on Vocational Training (ACVT)

PROJECT WORKS AND MODELS OF HAK-IS CONFEDERATION

PROJECTS AT DOMESTIC LEVEL
1. Building A Model Of Bipartite Social Dialogue For Effective Implementation Of The Labour Law. (Ankara, Adana, Istanbul, Kirikkale, Cankiri, Kocaeli)
2. Development Of The Vocational Education Social Partnership Project (Kayseri)
3. Improving The Working Conditions Of The Women Working In The Textile Sector Through Social Dialogue Project (Kayseri)
4. Vocational Training Project For Domicile Workmen / Technicians (Istanbul)
5. Creating Public Awareness Project in Fertility Health (Istanbul, Bursa, Adana, Konya, Erzurum, Izmir ve Gaziantep)
6. Elimination Of WFCL Through The Provision Of Vocational Training To The Families Of Child Labourers
7. Project For Development Of An Original Model For Information And Consultative Councils For Work Places In Municipalities Through Social Dialogue Project (Konya)
8. Disaster Strategy Operation Package Training Project (Istanbul)
9. Establishment Of Social Cooperation With The Local Authorities In Struggle Against Unemployment (Denizli)
10. Forming Innovative Professional Training Programs Through Social Dialog (Karabuk)
11. Project Of Improving Awareness To Child Labour By Means Of Organizing The Media (Izmir, Antalya, Gaziantep)
12. Project of Training Youth Manpower in Iron-Steel Sectors (Hatay/Iskenderun)
13. Project of Creating New Employments in Food Sector Through Innovative Occupational Training Models (Istanbul, Sakarya, Ankara)
14. Project of Training CNC Lathe Design and Production (CAD/CAM) Operators (Corum)
15. Project of Training Forestry Workers Through Innovative Occupational Training Models (Kastamonu, Sinop)
16. Project of Promoting Registered Employment Through Social Dialogue and Training (Malatya)
17. Project of Combating Unregistered Employment By Means of Organizing Media (Rize, Trabzon, Giresun)
18. Project of Establishing VOC-TEST Center in Metal Sector By Means of Stakeholders' Participation (Karabuk)

PROJECTS AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

1. The Civil Society Dialogue Project: Culture of Collaboration Through bringing together the workers from Turkey and the EU within ETUC Coordination.
2. The JVET Project
3. The Project of Operational Modules Revision of Rail Systems' Technologies and Adaptation within European Credit Transfer System
4. The Project of German-Turkish Unionist Dialogue: Promoting Social Dialogue and Discussing Turkey's Membership Process into EU within the partnership of DGB (Unions Confederation in Germany) and sponsorship of Germany Labour Ministry
5. Project of Promoting Gender Mainstreaming in Bulgarian, Romen and Turkish Unions
6. The Man-Woman Equality In Working Life and Occupational Health and Safety Training Project within the Swedish TCO and LO Confederations partnership.