One of the basic characteristics of the Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK), which is one of the largest public employees’ confederations in Turkey, is to fight against gender inequality and defend equal women participation in all fields of life. Women have been active members in KESK affiliates from the very beginning. KESK affiliates, which have members in public sectors such as education and health, have about 50 % women members. Women do not have passive member positions but join decision making and process and become executive board members actively. Given that percentage of women trade unionists is very low (10 %) and symbolic in the executive boards (2-4 %), women trade unionists’ position in KESK is worth of attention.
Women’s privileged position in KESK is related with the Confederation’s basic principles. KESK does not carry out trade union activities limited with only wage issue but adopts a wider perspective based on democracy struggle mentality. Accordingly, KESK on one hand defends public employees’ democratic, economic rights on the other hand, democratisation, abolishment of gender inequality, end to violence against women, wider fundamental rights and freedoms and democratic, peaceful solution to the Kurdish question that has been a serious problem for decades in the country.
KESK and its affiliates are subjected to the Governments’ pressure for having such comprehensive democratisation and peace perspective. There are numerous judicial and administrative investigations against members and executive board members, who are also relegated, of KESK and its affiliates.
Attacks on trade unionists have been increasing as was in military coup periods, all organised groups and individuals are subjected to various kinds of pressures; mass detention, long detention without trial or verdict that make detention a punishment in practice for thousands of people. This detention attacks targeted KESK and its affiliates that express views on social problems and gender issue as well as carry out activities.
The Justice and Development Party or AKP Government always openly expresses its views that are conservative and marginalise women. The Prime Minister suggests that ‘All women have at least three children” though there is no paid paternal leave in most of the sectors. In addition, the Prime Minister says “woman-man is not equal” and the Government’s spokespersons claim that women are reason for unemployment. There has been 1400 % increase in women murders for 8 years and 5 women are killed for their gender every day. The AKP Government targets women members of KESK that object to the Government’s gender policies, namely considering women as second class and imposing conservative on society, and struggle against these policies. As a result of these attacks, which can be considered against political views and freedom of thought of the politicised women, many trade unionist most of whom are Kurdish women trade unionists have been arrested and stayed in prison for months and even years and some of them were sentenced to certain period based on invalid grounds since 2009. Common characteristic of the arrested women trade unionists is that they carry out active struggle both for union rights and freedom of women. Most of the arrested, sentenced women trade unionists contributed to form and implement policies on gender mainstreaming in KESK and its affiliates; hence these pressures aim to oppress both gender equality and labour struggle.
- Olcay Kanlıbaş, former The Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services (SES) Executive Board Member, has been in prison for three years.
- Seher Tümer: The Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services (SES) Ankara Branch Executive Board Member was sentenced to 6 years. She informed the public opinion about deaths of babies as a result of infection. She was arrested on 18 April 2009 on charges of being member of Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK) and was sentenced to 6 years on the basis of an ambiguous provision which reads: “taking part in activities in the name of a terrorist organisation without being members of the organisation”.
- Serpil Arslan DÜZGÜN: She has been in prison since October 2010 as her sentence, which belongs to her student days, was finalised. She is a doctor and members of the Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services (SES).
- Nazire Ayata CİVELEK: She has been in prison since October 2010 as her sentence, which belongs to her student days, was finalised. She is a teacher and members of the Education and Science Workers’ Union (Egitim Sen).
- Zeynep SULAR OKAN: member of the Offices of the Municipal Workers Union (TÜM BEL-SEN) Diyarbakır Branch. She was arrested on 07/10/2011 while she served as a nurse at Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality.
Many women members of KESK affiliate unions were arrested on 18 May 2009 within the framework of arrest operation against KCK. Centre of the operation was İzmir, a city in the Aegean region. 9 of the arrested women trade unionists were sentenced to 6 years prison on 28 November 2011. The case goes on before the Supreme Court.
Women trade unionists sentenced to prison in the case:
Songül Morsümbül, the then KESK’s Women Secretary,
Elif Akgül Ateş, Egitim Sen’s the founding Women’s Secretary and Senior Trainer in Gender issues,
Gülçin İsbert, the then Egitim Sen’s Women Secretary,
Sakine Esen, Egitim Sen’s the present Women’s Secretary and Senior Trainer in Gender issues,
Mine Çetinkaya, the then Egitim Sen in Women’s Secretary in the Branch Number 4 in Izmir,
Şermin Güneş, the member women commission of Egitim Sen Izmir Branch,
Sueda Demir, the member of Egitim Sen Izmir Branch,
Meryem Çağ, The Workplace Representative of Union of Public Employees in Office (BES) and member of KESK General Women Unit,
Yüksel Özmen, the member of Executive Board of SES Izmir Branch.
- Dr. Büşra Ersanlı, who is member of Egitim Sen Branch Number 6 (particularly for people for universities) in Istanbul and member of party assembly of Peace and Democray Party (BDP) was arrested on 28 October 2011 for her lecture at BDP Political Academy within the context an operation against KCK. Prof. Büşra Ersanlı is still in Bakırköy Prison in Istanbul.
- 14 women members of KESK, most of whom are women secretaries or trainers in gender issues or members of women commissions of KESK affiliates, were arrested on 13 February 2012 right before 8 March the International Women’s Day. Nine of them were detained and put into prison.
There are questions asked to the women trade unionists while they were under detention and during the prosecution process. Some of the questions are completely about their activities related with gender mainstreaming that they carry out within the scope of the trade unions: they were asked why they had participated in the 8 March activities, the Women Assembly meetings, in 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women or their activities in the Mesopotamia Social Forum. These questions reveal reasons for the arrest of the women trade unionists.
The women trade unionists in the Sincan Women Closed Prison:
- Canan Çalağan, KESK Women’s Secretary and Egitim Sen’s Senior Trainer in Gender Issues, member of the trade union since 1995.
- Bedriye YORGUN, Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services (SES) Women’s Secretary, member of the trade union since 1990, served as the President of SES from 2008 to 2011.
- Güler ELVEREN, Offices of the Municipal Workers Union (TÜM BEL-SEN) Women’s Secretary since 2008.
- Hatice BEYDİLLİ KAHRAMAN, Egitim Sen Ankara Branch (no.1) Member, member of women commission in the headquarters, trainer, has a 3 years old daughter.
- Evrim ÖZDEMİR OĞRAŞ, Egitim Sen Ankara Branch (no.1) Member, member of women commission in the headquarters, former member of KESK General Women Unit, has a 5 years old son.
- Güldane ERDOĞAN, Egitim Sen Ankara Branch (no.2) Women’s Secretary, member of the trade union since 2001.
- Hülya MENDİLLİOĞLU, Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services (SES) women commission member in Ankara Branch, member of the trade union since 2000.
- Nurşat YEŞİL, Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services (SES) Ankara Branch member, and member of the trade union since 1990.
- Belkıs YURTSEVER, Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services (SES) women commission member in Ankara Branch, member of the trade union since 1993.
WOMEN MEMBERS OF KESK ARE IN PRISON FOR:
THEIR ACTIVE UNION STRUGGLE
THEIR ACTIVITIES TO PUT AN END TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND TO ESTABLISH GENDER MAINSTREAMING
THEIR WISH TO HAVE A PEACEFUL AND DEMORACTIC SOLUTION TO KURDISH QUESTION.
Women members of KESK defend rights of all oppressed women irrespective of their class, ethnic origin, political view, sexual orientation, religion, faith, language, age, abled or disabled etc. They not only declare their solidarity but also take part in problems actively to solve. It is because women members of KESK are aware that neither class nor union struggle can be successful without freedom of women. They are the most conscious and active part of the society. The arrest of women members of KESK while they were organising activities for 8 March the March International Women’s Day in an atmosphere of the highest rate of women murder, violence against women in police stations and asking at least to have three children is the clearest example of the Government’s/State’s policy to oppress women struggle.
There are attacks against women to frighten, silence and oppress women but we, as women members of KESK, are determined: we will continue to struggle until the arrested women trade unionist become free and trade union rights, freedoms are under guarantee.