CONFEDERATION OF TURKISH TRADE UNIONS

the largest labor confederation in turkey.

The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions, known as Türk Iş, was founded in 1952. Its history has reflected the increasing importance of industrial labor in a developing economy in which political regimes have been uneasy about voluntary associations whose appeal is bound to involve class interests. During the 1950s, the confederation played cat and mouse with the government, which sought to extend control over the organization, which, in turn, appealed to the opposition for support. The right to strike was finally legalized in 1963, opening the way for genuine trade unionism. The confederation's efforts to solidify its dominant position, however, were resisted by rival organizations. In 1966, the Revolutionary Confederation of Labor Unions (DISK) broke away and aligned itself with the socialist Turkish Workers Party. This split strengthened Türk Iş's relations with the ruling conservative Justice Party, which tried to solidify the confederation's dominance of labor through new legislation. The proliferation of often politically motivated strikes and lockouts, increasingly accompanied by violence, was a factor in bringing on the military intervention of 1980. Ironically, the coup finally made possible the achievement of the confederation's goal of obtaining a monopoly in labor organization, since all other labor unions were simply banned by the military regime. This drastic measure was followed by a series of restrictive conditions written into the constitution that was adopted by popular referendum in November 1982.

see also justice party; turkish workers party.

Bibliography

Bianchi, B. R. Interest Groups and Political Development in Turkey. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1984.

Dodd, C. H. The Crisis of Turkish Democracy, 2d edition. Huntingdon, U.K.: Eothen Press, 1990.

Frank Tachau