Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Turkey: 100 Union Members Arrested

In the early morning of Tuesday, 19 February, Turkish police targeted members and leaders of the public sector union KESK, arresting at least 100 of them, including members of the teachers union.

Overall, 167 arrest warrants were issued for trade unionists. The police have accused the trade unionists of links with terrorist organizations.

This is not the first time that the Turkish authorities have used anti-terrorism laws to crack down on trade unionists. On 10 April, the a trial will begin against 72 additional KESK members and leaders who were arrested in June 2012.

The International Trade Union Confederation, the Education International, Public Services International and the European Federation of Public Service Unions, representing tens of millions of organized workers around the world have launched a major new campaign demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all the arrested union members. They also demand that the Turkish state stop harassing and labeling trade unionists as terrorists.

Please take a minute and add your name to the online campaign:

http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=1742

And please make sure that your union shares this message with thousands of its members -- this is the only way to grow this campaign into something so massive that we cannot be ignored.

If thousands of us send off messages, and soon, we may be able to get the Turkish government to back down and to release our brothers and sisters from jail.

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