French, South Korean unions call on Renault to respect labor rights in Turkey

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

The French automaker’s production was halted at the Bursa plant due to a walk-out staged by workers during a night shift last week. DHA Photo

French and Korean trade unions have sent a letter to Renault’s global management warning the company to respect labor rights after incidents last week at its facility in the northwestern province of Bursa, daily Radikal reported.

The French automaker’s production was halted at the Bursa plant due to a walk-out staged by workers during a night shift last week, according to Doğan news agency. The workers, who accused the management of Turk Metal, the union entitled to collective bargaining at Renault’s Bursa plant, of collaborating with the employer, staged a sit-in outside the management building and called for the leaders’ resignation. Renault management in Turkey fired 23 workers following the protests.

CGT Metal, one of France’s largest trade unions and active at Renault’s plant in France, demanded the management rehire the fired workers in its letter addressing Renault Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn and General Manager Carlos Tavares.

Turk Metal is not chosen freely by the workers, CGT Metal claimed. The Turkish workers took action to make their demands heard, which the current trade union, favored by the plant management, fails to do. This was an incontestable right for the workers and any counter action is the violation of both “the Renault Fundamental Rights Declaration” and the International Labor Organization, the CGT said.

KMWU of South Korea, the union at Renault’s plant in the country, also issued a protest against Renault regarding the Bursa incidents. The South Korean trade union also called on Renault to rehire the fired workers at the Bursa plant and respect the workers’ right to choose their union freely and bring an end to the oppression of the workers there.

Renault is in a partnership in Turkey with Oyak (Armed Forces Pension Fund). A total of 6,000 workers are employed at the Bursa plant working three shifts a day. Oyak-Renault was founded in 1969.