Workers unite worldwide for Reinstate the 305 campaign

Workers from across the globe are keeping up the pressure in support of striking Turkish Airlines (THY) workers who were unfairly sacked by phone, email or text.

THY workers have been striking for nearly 170 days. The latest wave of action, which ran from 7-20 October, aimed to raise awareness of the workers’ situation among THY passengers. The action was organised by THY workers’ union Hava-Is.

The ITF-affiliated Philippines Airlines Employers Association (PALEA) handed out leaflets to THY passengers in Makati City, Philippines, and visited the local THY sales office to raise awareness. The Federation of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria (FTTUB) also took part in the campaign, handing out flyers to passengers waiting to check in at Sofia airport. The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union joined with Australia Asia Worker Links to raise awareness at Tullamarine Airport International Terminal, while workers from the Indian Airports Employees Union distributed 200 leaflets to THY passengers on arrival in Mumbai.

Global union federation the International Union of Food Workers (IUF), which represents workers in hotels, hospitality, catering and associated fields, also organised an urgent global appeal, urging affiliates to put pressure on THY senior management to get back around the negotiating table.

ITF civil aviation secretary Gabriel Mocho Rodriguez said: “Striking Hava-Is workers remain strong! We stand side-by-side with our affiliates in calling on THY management to get back around the table with their workers, to open up dialogue with them, and to put passenger and crew health and safety first.”

The Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) met on 23 October 2013, to discuss the legal implications of this ongoing battle between THY and workers. ITF civil aviation assistant secretary Kemal Ulker spoke at this conference, which was attended by a mixture of workers, lawyers and academics. You can read about it on the (ITF Aviation blog) [need to link to http://www.itfglobal.org/itfaviationblog/?p=3044]

Check out pictures from global actions here >>

Read more about the reinstate the 305 campaign, including finding out how to get involved, at [need to link to http://www.itfglobal.org/campaigns/reinstate305.cfm]