Airline strikes might be called illegal, MP offers

ISTANBUL - Radikal

Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Metin Külünk submitted a draft law to Parliament last week that would make it illegal for airline employees in Turkey to strike.

The Hava İş Union plans to hold a large protest in front of Turkish Airlines Headquarters on May 23, union President Atilay Ayçın said.

There is no country in the world in which airline strikes are illegal, Ayçın said, adding that the union has applied to the International Labor Organization (ILO) regarding the draft law. Similar initiatives have been attempted before, but received swift criticism from international organizations and were subsequently shelved, Ayçın said.

For workers in certain occupations in Turkey, strikes are illegal. These include those employed in life-saving operations, jobs related to burial, and natural gas and petroleum drilling, distribution and production.