A training on "Fundamental Labour Rights" was provided to union representatives affiliated with the HAK-İŞ Confederation of Türkiye through a collaboration between the International Labour Organization (ILO) Türkiye Office and HAK-İŞ Confederation.
The training was organized under the "Strengthening Social Partners and Civil Society Capacities on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work" project, implemented by the ILO Office for Türkiye and supported by the European Union Delegation to Türkiye. The goal was to enhance the knowledge and awareness of union representatives on fundamental labour principles and rights.
The one-day event, held at HAK-İŞ Headquarters, was attended by ILO Office for Türkiye Director Yasser Hassan, HAK-İŞ Vice President Halil Çukutli, Secretary General Eda Akbulut, Deputy Secretaries General Fatma Zengin and Hamdi Abdullah Koçoğlu, ILO Senior Project Coordinator Emre Dönmez, ILO representatives, union leaders and staff from the Confederation.
The program commenced with opening remarks by HAK-İŞ Deputy Secretary General Hamdi Abdullah Koçoğlu and Vice President Halil Çukutli, followed by a presentation on the history of the ILO and project details by ILO Türkiye Senior Project Coordinator Emre Dönmez.
During the first session, Osman Sarı, Legal Advisor of the Hizmet-İş Union, conducted a seminar titled "Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and Access to Justice for Fundamental Labour Rights."
The future of work was addressed by Elif Yıldırım, an industrial relations expert at HAK-İŞ, while Dr. Sefa Karagöz, a collective bargaining expert at Hizmet-İş Union, delivered a seminar on "The Past, Present, and Future of the Turkish Industrial Relations System in the Context of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work."
The program concluded with a certificate ceremony, where ILO Office for Türkiye Director Yasser Hassan and HAK-İŞ Vice President Halil Çukutli presented certificates to the participants.
Reflecting on the program, Senior Project Coordinator Emre Dönmez noted, "This training marks the next phase of our training-of-trainers initiative. HAK-İŞ representatives, Mr. Osman Sarı, Ms. Elif Yıldırım, and Dr. Sefa Karagöz, had participated in the Training of Trainers session at the ILO Office for Türkiye from March 26-28, 2024, where the modular training developed under the project was introduced. These experts, now certified trainers, will play an active role in the training activities planned to reach 1,000 participants by 2027. The training sessions will cover topics such as ILO conventions and supervisory mechanisms, access to justice, the future of work, and trade union organization. This is the first training program within our project organized specifically for union specialists."
The union representatives who attended the training shared that they gained valuable insights, particularly on ILO's areas of work, conventions, Industry 4.0, the green economy, and platform economy, and found the training beneficial.
About the Project
The project aims to contribute to strengthening the fundamental labour principles and rights specified in ILO's Core Conventions in Türkiye. The project framework focuses on recognizing the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, eliminating all forms of forced or compulsory labour, effectively ending child labour, eliminating discrimination in employment and occupation, and ensuring a safe and healthy working environment.
Supported by the European Union Delegation to Türkiye, the project seeks to enhance the capacities of worker and employer organizations and rights-based NGOs.
Project activities include conducting a needs analysis for the target group, preparing thematic research reports, establishing an electronic library, organizing training programs and workshops for the target group, and providing grant support opportunities.
