• DISK AFFILIATES (A - K)
  • ASIS
  • BANK-SEN
  • BASIN-IS
  • BIRLESIK METAL-IS
  • CAM KERAMIK-IS
  • DEV MADEN-SEN
  • DERI-IS
  • DEV SAGLIK-IS
  • DEVRIMCI YAPI-IS
  • EMEKLI-SEN
  • GENEL-IS
  • GIDA-IS
  
  
• DISK AFFILIATES (L - S)
  • LASTIK-IS
  • LIMTER-IS
  • MEDYA-SEN
  • NAKLIYAT-IS
  • OLEYIS
  • PETKIM-IS
  • SINE-SEN
  • SOSYAL-IS
  
  
• DISK AFFILIATES (T - Z)
  • TEK GES-IS
  • TEKSTIL
  • TIS
  • TUMKA-IS
  • YENI HABER-IS
  • YERALTI MADEN-IS

DISK AFFILIATES (A - G)

ASIS

(AGAC SANAYII ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF WOOD INDUSTRY WORKERS

Labour union founded in Ankara on February 26, 1973 to operate in the wood branch; affiliated to DISK.

The union is based in Istanbul and was founded by Saban Özkan (temporary chairman), Alaaddin Dalmaz, Sevki Öztürk, Etem Öztürk, Mehmet Mercan, Rasim Bayatli, Ridvan Ertan, Celal Karagöl and Mustafa Erkan.

The union held general assembly meetings on: 1.7.1973, 30.10.1973 (extraordinary), 29.6.1975, 26.7.1977, 9-10.6.1979, 15-16.8.1980 (extraordinary), 11.12.1992 and in 1995. The board elected at the last congress is composed of Rifat Kendirligil (chairman), Hüseyin Varli, Bahattin Bicen, Aydin Türkmen, Ali Karatas, Ahmet Bahtiyaroglu and Ismet Gülbayrak.

The union first organized at the Tepe furniture company in Ankara and the Elka factory in Istanbul.

ASIS defended from the start that collective negotiations should be conducted not only by union leaders, but all workers who would be affected from the collective labour contract, each article being voted by all workers, the union leaders should be elected for one term only and membership to the union should not only be a matter of paying dues, but all prospective members should be informed about the aims and principles of the union.

At the congress in October 1973 it adopted a resolution for affiliation to DISK.

On 21.11.1975 the union waged a strike at the Elka factory where 850 workers were employed. On the 100th day of the strike, DISK intervened and asked Maden-Is to carry on the negotiations with the employer. Both the attempts of Asis to conduct the bargaining at this workplace with the participation of all the workers, and DISK’s manner of solving the crisis were afterwards criticised by many trade unionists.

In 1977 Inegöl Sunta Fabrikasi Iscileri Sendikasi (Union of the Workers at Inegöl Plywood Factory) dissolved itself and joined Asis.

At the congress in 1977 the charter of the union was amended so that the following sentence was added to its aim: „ASIS regards the revolutionary socialist notion as the only way for the emancipation of the working class. „ The chairman of ASIS criticised DISK leadership in 1977 for being anti-democratic and not paying attention to the wishes of the workers.

In 1979 the headquarters of the union were moved to Istanbul.

The activities of the union were suspended after the military coup in 1980. The lawsuit against its leaders ended by acquittal and the union resumed its activities in 1991.

The union does not have any branches or periodical publications and it reported 1,410 members in 1975, 1,500 in 1979, 2,300 in 1980, 2,072 in 1996 and 621 in 1997.

BANK-SEN

(TURKIYE DEVRIMCI BANKA VE SIGORTA ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
PROGRESSIVE UNION OF BANK AND INSURANCE WORKERS OF TURKEY

Labour union founded in Istanbul on April 28, 1972 to operate in the bank and insurance branch, originally under the name of Yapi-Sen (Union of Employees of Yapi Kredi Bank); affiliated to DISK and FIET (International Federation of Commercial, Clerical and Technical Employees).

The union is based in Istanbul and was founded by Metin Denizmen, Hasan Erol, Hakki Onaran, Sadrettin Öktem, Kenan Öner, Altan Acikel, Ali Aksuner, Sakir Alyanak, Aytac Dogruel, Orhan Erkus, Rifat Tunaroglu and Ihsan Toraydin.

The union held general assembly meetings on: 30.10-2.11.1976, 13-16.2.1979, 21.12.1991 (extraordinary), 7-8.3.1992, 7-8.8.1993 (extraordinary) 26-27.11.1994 and 15-16 December 1996. The board elected at the last congress is composed of Müslüm Uguz (chairman), Murat Gülener (general secretary, staff, foreign affairs and coordination superintendent), Süheyla Carikci (finance and collective bargaining secretary), Kamile Karakullukcu (press and media, public relations and legislation secretary), Ali Bakir (education secretary) and Cahide Semra Yaylaci (research, statistics and women’s problems secretary).

At the congress in 1976 the union decided to change its name to Bank-Sen and to affiliate to DISK.

In 1977 Gam-Sen (Union of Employees of Garanti Bank) and Eskisehir Bank-Sen (Union of Employees of Eskisehir Bank), in 1978 Teknik-Is, Ab-Sen (Union of Employees of Anadolu Bank) and Ulus-Sen (Union of Employees of Uluslararasi Endüstri ve Ticaret Bank), and in 1979 Tars Koop-Is (Union of Oil Seed Cooperative Workers) joined Bank-Sen.

In February 1979 Bank-Sen was expelled for a period of one year from DISK, together with Maden-Is, Baysen and Yeralti Maden-Is.

The activities of the union were suspended after the military coup in 1980. The lawsuit against its leaders ended by acquittal and the union resumed its activities in 1991.

Bank-Sen has 9 regional offices, 3 of them in Istanbul and the remaining in Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Konya, Samsun and Bursa.

At present the union is organized only in Tarisbank.

It publishes a bulletin called „Bank-Haber" and a monthly journal with the same name.

The union reported 18,000 members in 1977, 14,306 in 1995 and 14,871 in 1997.

BASIN-IS

(TURKIYE BASIN ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF PRESS WORKERS OF TURKEY

Labour union founded in Istanbul on August 7, 1947 to operate in the press and publishing branch, originally under the name of Istanbul Basim Makinistleri Sendikasi (Union of Press Technicians of Istanbul); affiliated to DISK.

The founders of the union included Seref Hivel, Ali Garali, Ethem Onan, Baki Mete, Ibrahim Bilge, Tevfik Ilem, Recep Akakca, Nihat Akcalan, Nazif Tarkan, Saim Sertkolver, Sakir Muhasipoglu, Ekrem Hakgören, Enis Colpan and Izzet Seslikaya.

The union held general assembly meetings on: 7.9.1950, 5.5.1951, 28.3.1952, 5.5.1953, in August 1955, 7.4.1956, 25.5.1957, 18.5.1958, 23.5.1959, 7.5.1961, 2.11.1963, 17-18.1.1966, in 1967, on 13-14.12.1968, 1.2.1970, in 1972, on 18.2.1973, 9.2.1974, 19.4.1975, 7-8.2.1976, 25-26.2.1978, 9-10.2.1980, 21-22.3.1992 (extraordinary) and 1-3.7.1995. The board is composed of Yilmaz Özdemir (chairman), Dervis Bayoglu (general secretary), Ibrahim Gül (organization secretary) and Serdal Sarman (deputy chairman).

It is a member of IGF (International Grafficers’ Federation).

The history of the union goes back to the Association of Ottoman Typesetters that was founded in 1906. The organization later changed the word „Ottoman" in its name to „Turkish" and in 1938 adopted the name League of Turkish Press Technicians. In 1947, when the first Trade Union Act came into force, it converted itself to a trade union.

In 1951 Darphane ve Damga Matbaasi Iscileri Sendikasi (Union of Mint and Stamp Printing Press Workers) joined the union. In 1955 the activities of the union were temporarily suspended by the martial law command.

In 1957 the union decided to affiliate to Türk-Is and in 1963 its name was changed to Basin-Is.

Basin-Is took part in the formation of SADA (Inter-Union Solidarity Agreement) on 15.7.1966.

On 12.2.1967 Basin-Is withdrew from Türk-Is and cooperated with Maden-Is, Gida-Is, Türkiye Maden-Is and Lastik-Is to establish DISK.

The long-time chairman of Basin-Is, Ibrahim Güzelce, was elected as general secretary of DISK in 1975. When he died in April 1976 his funeral turned into a mass demonstration.

In 1979 a local union, Ofset-Is, abolished it self and joined Basin-Is.

Basin-Is was one of the seven unions that submitted a proposal at the 7th congress of DISK in 1980 for more active resistance to the system. When the proposal was rejected, the representatives of 11 trade unions including those of Basin-Is withdrew from the general assembly meeting and held a press conference criticising the „reformist" attitude of DISK.

The activities of the union were suspended after the military coup in 1980. The lawsuit against its leaders ended by acquittal and the union resumed its activities in 1991.

In this period the union attempted to achieve a merger with the Türk-Is affiliated Basin-Is, but there was opposition to this initiative from inside the union. As a result the union launched its own organizational activities and was able to exceed the 10% limit.

It has a representative agency in Ankara and publishes a periodical called „YENISES." The union reported 1,293 members in 1958, 6,718 in 1974, 2,988 in 1996 and 5,400 in 1997.

BIRLESIK METAL-IS

(BIRLESIK METAL ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF UNITED METAL WORKERS

Labour union founded in Istanbul on September 4-5, 1993 to operate in the metal branch; affiliated to DISK, IMF (International Metal Workers Federation) and FEM (European Metal Federation).

The union was founded by 27 metal workers including Yasar Cabbar, Yusuf Sidal, A.Aydin Özeren, Ahmet Uguray, Ibrahim Özer and Muharrem Yaglioglu.

Birlesik Metal-Is was born through the unification of two unions in the metal branch: Maden-Is and Otomobil-Is.

Maden-Is was one of the first trade unions founded after the first Trade Union Act came into force in 1947. The union was a founders of the League of Trade Unions of Istanbul in 1948 and two of its leaders acted as chairman of the League. It affiliated to Türk-Is when the confederation was established in 1952. By the end 1950’s its membership had exceeded 5,000 and it was signing agreements with employers before the act on collective bargaining was promulgated. The strike of metal workers at the Kavel factory in 1963 is generally considered as the last significant action that expedited the enactment of the law on collective bargaining and strikes.

In 1967 the union withdrew from Türk-Is and formed DISK with four other unions. Kemal Türkler, who had been the chairman of the union since 1954, also served as chairman of DISK until 1977.

In the late 1970’s the union waged two large scale strikes which were dubbed as the „MESS strikes". The first one took place between 30.5.1977-3.2.1978 and involved 40,000 workers. The second strike began on 13.3.1980 at 107 workplaces and was terminated by the military government in 12.9.1980.

On 22.7.1980 Kemal Türkler was murdered at an armed attack. This prompted protests and work stoppages throughout Turkey and his funeral turned into a mass demonstration. By end-1979 the union reported its membership as 176,980.

The military regime suspended the activities of Maden-Is like all other DISK members, and the union was first opened again in 1991.

Otomobil-Is was founded in 1963 and was a member of Türk-Is from 1965 to 1974; after that year it remained independent. In 1979 the union signed a protocol with Maden-Is for joint action on various issues such as higher wages, shorter working hours and job security.

The union was closed after the military coup, but the case against the union ended with acquittal and it was allowed to reopen in 1983. In the 1980’s the union worked actively to improve the conditions of workers. The strike that it called at the Netas plant was the first massive job action after the coup. It organized also other actions such as barefoot marches, demonstrations in shrouds and queues at the paymaster offices. In 1989 it cooperated with Özdemir-Is and Celik-Is in the collective bargaining with MESS. 30,000 workers from the three unions went on strike for their demands.

In 1993 Maden-Is and Otomobil-Is decided to merge in a single powerful union which would become a centre of attraction also for other metal workers. Maden-Is dissolved itself at its congress on 2.7.1993 and adopted a resolution for joining Otomobil-Is. This decision was finalized at the general assembly of Otomobil-Is on 4-5.9.1993. Thus the legal and actual formalities were completed for the creation of Birlesik Metal-Is. The new union also decided to affiliate to DISK.

Its first general assembly meeting was held on 6-8.1.1995. An extraordinary congress was held on 20.5.1995 for amendments to the charter. The board was composed of Ali Riza Ikisivri (chairman), Halit Erdem (general secretary), Ziya Yilmaz (deputy chairman), Kemal Daysal (responsible for collective bargaining), Mehmet Cabuk (responsible for organization), Hasan Bayrak (responsible for finance) and Esmender Turna (responsible for publications and education).

The board elected at the last congress on 21-23 November, 1997 is composed of Kamil Kinkir (chairman), Ziya Yilmaz (deputy chairman), Muzaffer Sahin (general secretary), Mehmet Helvaci (collective bargaining department), Coskun Yilmaz (finance secretary), Mehmet Cabuk (organization secretary) and Esmender Turna (education, press and media secretary).

The union has branches in Kartal, Umraniye, Sefaköy, Topkapi, Mecidiyeköy, Bursa, Ankara, Izmir, Gebze, Kocaeli, Adana and Eskisehir, and representative offices in Corlu, Mudanya and Manisa. It publishes a monthly journal called „Birlesik Metal-Is".

It has reported 61,652 members in 1994, 62,728 in 1996 and 63,487 in 1997.

CAM KERAMIK-IS

(TURKIYE PORSELEN, CIMENTO, CAM, TUGLA VE TOPRAK SANAYII ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF PORCELAIN, CEMENT, GLASS, BRICK AND SOIL INDUSTRY WORKERS OF TURKEY

Labour union founded in Istanbul on June 18, 1995 to operate in the cement and glass industry; affiliated to DISK.

The union was established through the amalgamation of two DISK affiliates: Keramik-Is and Hür Cam-Is.

It held its unification congress on 17-18.6.1995. The board elected at this congress is composed of Sadik Dogrular (chairman), Muharrem Ak, Mehmet Yemen, Zeki Yildirimer and Nazmi Ergin.

The union does not have any branches or periodical publications as yet and it is continuing its activities to get established. It reported 38 members in 1996 and 23 members in 1997.

DEV MADEN-SEN

(TURKIYE DEVRIMCI MADEN ARAMA VE ISLETME ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF PROGRESSIVE MINE PROSPECTING AND OPERATING WORKERS OF TURKEY

Labour union founded in Ankara on June 30, 1959 to operate in the mining branch, originally under the name of MTA-IS (Union of Workers Employed at the MTA Institute); affiliated to DISK.

The union is based in Ankara and was founded by Rasit Sevil, Mustafa Özdamar (temporary chairman), Ali Kasapli, Ismet Uzun, Necip Polat, Oktay Kurtay and Nurettin Oruc.

The union held general assembly meetings on: 3.4.1960, 6.12.1962 (extraordinary), 20.3.1964, 10.12.1966 (extraordinary), 17.2.1968 (extraordinary), 8.1.1972 (extraordinary), 27-29.3.1975, 25.5.1976, 4-5.9.1976 (extraordinary), 20.21.11.1976, 17- 19.12.1977, 17-20.2.1980, 14-15.3.1992, 2-3.7.1994 and 12-13.4.1997. The board elected at the last congress is composed of Tayfun Görgün (chairman), Yunis Akbag (general secretary), Turgut Yilmaz, Mehmet Özbay and Ahmet Remzi Atasoy.

In 1966 the union joined the Federation of Unions of Mine Workers, which was affiliated to Türk-Is. Until 1975 Dev Maden-Sen remained as an enterprise union organized in the various enterprises of MTA (the state-owned mining institute). When the Federation announced that year that it would include the MTA workplaces in the collective labour contract which it signed on branch level, the union decided to withdraw from the Federation and Türk-Is, and to affiliate to DISK. This decision was implemented in 1976.

In 1976 Cagdas Maden-Is based in Bursa and Dev Maden-Is based in Sivas joined Dev Maden-Sen. This name of the union was adopted at the congress in November 1976.

In 1979 DISK tried to unite its two affiliates in the mining branch, Dev Maden-Sen and Yeralti Maden-Is, but this initiative could not be concluded before the military coup.

The most well-known job action of the union is the strike at the Baser Mining company. The strike which involved 5 workers was originally waged on 29.3.1976 by Tüm Bag-Is which later joined Dev Maden-Is. When the latter union merged with Dev Maden-Sen in the same year, Dev Maden-Sen overtook the management of the strike. The action ended on 27.10.1979 with the employer accepting the demands of the workers. This is the longest known strike in Turkey, as well as in the world.

Dev Maden-Sen also remained closed like other DISK affiliates between 1980 and 1991.

The union has branches in Soma and Tavsanli and liaison offices in Mugla and Kütahya. It publishes a journal called „Maden Iscilerinin Sesi". It reported 8,000 members in 1975, 18,000 in 1980, 299 in 1996 and 1,074 in 1997.

DERI-IS

(TURKIYE DERI SANAYII ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF LEATHER WORKERS OF TURKEY

Labour union founded in Istanbul on April 2, 1976 to operate in the leather branch, originally under the name of Ilerici Deri-Is; affiliated to DISK.

The union is based in Istanbul and was founded by Kenan Budak, Ali Sel, Kemal Cinak, Munzur Pekgülec, Yalcin Kösem, Cemal Solmaz and Sait Güven.

The union held general assembly meetings on: 10.4.1977, 24.5.1980, 11-12.4.1992 and 17-18.6.1995. The board elected at the last congress is composed of Munzur Pekgülec (chairman), Nevzat Yüksel (general secretary) and Özcan Cevik (finance secretary).

Deri-Is affiliated to DISK in 1977. It adopted its present name in 1992.

The activities of the union were suspended by the National Security Council on 12.9.1980. The chairman of the union Kenan Budak was shot and killed by the police on the street in 1981.

The union resumed its activities in 1991.

Deri-Is does not have any branches or periodical publications. It reported 450 members in 1977, 9,500 in 1979, 2,150 in 1979, 2,562 in 1996 and 1,721 in 1997.

DEV SAGLIK-IS

(DEVRIMCI SAGLIK ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF PROGRESSIVE HEALTH WORKERS

Labour union founded in Istanbul on November 20, 1976 to operate in the health branch; affiliated to DISK.

The union was formed through the amalgamation of Devrimci Saglik-Is and Has-Is unions. The unification was formalized at the general assembly meeting of Has-Is on 20.11.1976, and the new union continued to function under the name of Has-Is.

The first board of the union was composed of 3 members from Devrimci Saglik-Is and 4 from Has-Is, but a full accord could not be achieved within the union. The disputes came to a head when the two groups held two different general assembly meetings, one on 17.9.1977 and the other on 25.9.1977. As a result the labour court placed the union under trusteeship in January 1978.

After this ruling by the court, the two factions again held separate congresses and one decided to continue the union under the name of Has-Is, while the other changed its name to Devrimci Saglik-Is.

The controversy about which congress was the legitimate one and which group was authorized to represent the union turned into a very complicated legal issue and different labour courts passed contradictory rulings over the next three years. The matter was finally resolved in July 1980 in favour of Devrimci Saglik-Is.

The union was closed by the military regime, and when it was reopened together with other DISK affiliates, it held a new congress on 28.12.1991. At this general assembly meeting, its name was converted to its present form. The following congresses took place on 28-29.3.1992 and 14-15.10.1995. The board elected at the last congress is composed of Dogan Halis (chairman), Rahile Yalgin (general secretary) and Gülsolmaz Kaya, Ergün Celikkan and Hasan Burgac as members.

The union reported 4,143 members in 1996 and 1,204 in 1997.

DEVRIMCI YAPI-IS

(TURKIYE DEVRIMCI YAPI ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF PROGRESSIVE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS OF TURKEY

Labour union founded in Istanbul on January 17, 1971 to operate in the construction branch; affiliated to DISK and IFEWW (International Federation of Building, Wood and Related Product Workers).

The union is based in Istanbul and was founded by Ibrahim Cetkin, Ismet Demir, Servet Orgun, Selahattin Okur, Ali Bingöl, Burhanettin Temiz, Osman Yalin, Erhan Unal, Mahmut Özen and Sefer Güvenc.

The union held general assembly meetings on: 8.8.1971, 17.1.1976, 24.5.1980, 28-29.3.1992 and 29-30.4.1995. The board elected at the last congress is composed of Zeki Alkan (chairman), Eyüp Kantar, Yakup Demir, Dursun Acikbas and Rahmi Kasber.

Soon after its foundation, the union affiliated to DISK. However in 1975 it was discharged from the confederation on the grounds that it did not comply with the decision of DISK for the unification of Devrimci Yapi-Is and Baysen. This expulsion lasted until 1978.

The union was closed by the military regime in 1980 and reopened together with other DISK affiliates in 1991.

The union does not have any branches or periodical publications and it reported 736 members in 1971, 964 in 1974, 1,200 in 1977, 17 in 1996 and in 1997.

EMEKLI-SEN

(TUM EMEKLILER SENDIKASI)
UNION OF RETIRED EMPLOYEES

Union founded on July 12, 1992 to organize all the retired employees bound to SSK, Emekli Sandigi and Bagkur (which are social security organizations of Turkey); affiliated to DISK and FERPA (Federation of European Retired People’s Associations)

The union was founded by Ibrahim Sahin, Bekir Arda, Cemil Ecevit, Saim Unal, Recep Koc, Celal Alcinkaya, Zahir Kayhan, Ismail Orhun Ceyhan and Cetin Alpdündar. The board elected on February 22, 1997 is composed of Ibrahim Sahin (chairman), Rasim Öz (general secretary), Yusuf Yildirim, Cemil Ecevit, Recep Koc, Mahinur Ziyan, Nurhayat Kalkan, Hüsnü Cuhadar and Ramazan Sahin.

The union operates in districts. There is an assembly in each province all over Turkey and a General Assembly. All cases opened against the union argumenting that an union for retired employees would not be established, resulted in favor of Emekli-Sen and there has been no legally unsettled issue of the legitimacy of the union.

The union has 25 branches, 26 representatives, and 40,000 members; and publishes a monthly periodical called „Emeklinin Sesi".

GENEL-IS

(TURKIYE GENEL HIZMETLER ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF GENERAL SERVICES WORKERS OF TURKEY

Labour union founded in Istanbul on April 22, 1962 to operate in the services branch; affiliated to DISK and PSI (International Federation of Public Service Workers).

The union is based in Ankara and was founded by Mustafa Sigan, Abdullah Bastürk, Cemil Uludag, Cemil Altan, Mustafa Kurucesme and Bekir Büyükcan.

The union held general assembly meetings on: 15-16.11.1962, 25.11.1965, 31.11-2.12.1967, 23-25.12.1969, 22-24.4.1972, 22-24.4.1975, 3.8.1975 (extraordinary), 5.6.1976 (extraordinary), 22-24.4.1978, 19-20.4.1980, 1-2.2.1992, 6-8.5.1994 and 27-29.9.1996. The board elected at the last congress is composed of Atilla Öngel (chairman), Muharrem Kurt (general secretary), Sükrü Ercan, Cemal Arslan, Nurettin Dincer, Abdülkerim Timur and Erol Ekici.

Genel-Is was originally founded by municipal workers in Istanbul. It grew rapidly with the participation of unions from other parts of the country and moved its headquarters to Ankara. It affiliated to Türk-Is soon after its foundation.

It waged its first strike at the Kayseri Municipality in September 1964. 413 workers took part in the strike that lasted 36 days and ended with a collective labour contract. The strike called by the union in Malatya the next year is noteworthy because of the attempts of the local government to break the strike by hiring workers from the outside. The protests of union leaders and workers against this unlawful attitude led to clashes between the workers and soldiers. The strike lasted 31 days and was terminated by a court decision.

In 1966 the union organized a long march from Corum first to Ankara and then to Istanbul to protest the dismissal of 72 union members from the Corum Municipality. The workers marched barefooted for 31 days and covered a distance of 750 km. In 1967 the workers at the Manisa Municipality organized a similar action to protest the attitude of the local government in the collective negotiations, and walked 930 km in 44 days. The strike in Manisa lasted for 221 days and was the longest strike ever waged until that date.

By 1971 the disagreement between Genel-Is and Türk-Is leadership about the non-partisan policy of the confederation deepened. Genel-Is was one of the unions that prepared the „Report of the Four" in 1971 and Abdullah Bastürk represented the union in the Council of Social Democratic Unionists that was formed afterwards. Finally, in August 1975 the union decided to withdraw from Türk-Is, accusing the confederation of remaining passive in the face of the attacks on the rights of workers and of a compromising attitude toward the ruling classes. Genel-Is remained independent for about 10 months, but in June 1976 it affiliated to DISK.

Genel-Is chairman Bastürk was elected to the chairmanship of DISK in December 1977.

In the 1970’s Genel-Is established a mutual benefit fund for its members that assisted the workers in case of sickness, birth and death, as well as providing an extra retirement pay. The National Security Council suspended the activities of Genel-Is after the coup and arrested its leaders. Bastürk and other union officers sat in prison for over four years, before being released in 1984. Bastürk was elected to the parliament in 1987. He worked constantly to ensure the reopening of the unions. It was in the midst of these intense efforts that he was suddenly taken ill and died on 21.12.1991.

Genel-Is immediately began its organizational activities after 1992 and passed the 10% limit within 48 days. The drop observed in its membership in the last two years is due to the massive layoffs in municipalities after the local elections in 1994.

The union has regional offices in Ankara, Istanbul (2), Izmir, Kayseri, Adana, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Samsun, Balikesir and Sakarya, branches in Cankaya Gölbasi, Konut Iscileri Ankara, Anakent, Yenimahalle-Keciören, Mamak-Altindag, branch numbers 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 in Istanbul, Trakya, Anadolu Yakasi numbers 1 and 2, Konut Iscileri Istanbul, branch numbers 4 and 5 in Izmir, Denizli, Usak, Afyon, Antalya, Aydin, Kayseri, Kirsehir, Malatya, Konya, Eregli, branch numbers 1 and 2 in Adana, Mersin, Ceyhan, Iskenderun, Diyarbakir, Van, Siirt, Mardin, Tunceli, Gaziantep (3), Sinop, Samsun, Amasya, Rize, Balikesir, Bursa, Canakkale, Bandirma, Sakarya and Zonguldak, also represantative offices in Turhal, Eskisehir, Sincan, Ordu, Bozdogan and Kocaeli. The union publishes a monthly journal called „Genel-Is Emek" and a quarterly bulletin called „Genel-Is Bülteni".

The union reported 8,354 members in 1962, 23,005 in 1965, 32,947 in 1967, 43,142 in 1972, 100,000 in 1975, 130,000 in 1976, 143,000 in 1980, 49,038 in 1994, 45,707 in January 1995, 42,611 in July 1995 and 45,470 in 1997.

GIDA-IS

(TURKIYE GIDA SANAYII ISCILERI SENDIKASI)
UNION OF FOOD INDUSTRY WORKERS OF TURKEY

Labour union founded in Istanbul on October 21, 1947 to operate in the food branch, originally under the name of Istanbul Gida Sanayii Iscileri Sendikasi (Union of Food Industry Workers of Istanbul); affiliated to DISK.

It is a member of ICEM and IUF.

The union is based in Istanbul and was founded by Saban Akdogan, Zühtü Tetey, Ibrahim Atlas, Ihsan Uyum, Hüseyin Arslan, Ahmet Percin, Cemal Barlas, Ibrahim Güler, Sabri Kumkala, Hasan Basaka, Hüseyin Altay and Galip Erkal.

The union held general assembly meetings on: 4.8.1949, 15.10.1950, 9.9.1951, 11.11.1952, 15.11.1953, 6.9.1954, in 1955, on 3.6.1956, 18.8.1957, 10.8.1958, 3.11.1959, 4.12.1960, 10.12.1961, 23.9.1962, 8.8.1963, 8.8.1965, 12.11.1966, 10- 12.2.1967 (extraordinary), 7.5.1967, 19-20.4.1969, 18-19.3.1972, 28-30.6.1975, 16-19.10.1978, 14.12.1991 (extraordinary), 21- 22.3.1992, 2-3.7.1994 and 24-25.6.1995. The board elected at the last congress held on 16-17 August, 1997 is composed of Hüdayi Fazlilar (chairman), H. Cahit Kaplan (general secretary) and Ali Alp, Yurdakul Gözde and Selahattin Sertkaya as deputy chairmen.

The union affiliated to the Federation of Unions of Tobacco, Alcoholic Beverage and Food Workers of Turkey in 1961. Its name was changed to its present form in 1962.

The general assembly meeting in August 1965 approved the membership application of Kemal Nebioglu, who was to serve as the chairman of the union starting from that congress.

The union conducted its first collective negotiations at the Nestle Chocolate Factory in 1965. These negotiations also became the starting point for the formation of a workers council at each enterprise, which was to be an important part of the policy of the union in the future.

Gida-Is took part in the establishment of SADA (Inter-Union Solidarity Agreement) in 1966 and became a founding member of DISK in 1967.

In 1979 Besin-Is and Cagdas Gida-Is unions joined Gida-Is.

The activities of the union were suspended by the National Security Council on 12.9.1980. The union resumed its activities in 1991 and as of 1996 it has 67 collective labour contracts in force.

Gida-Is has branches in Mersin, Gaziantep, Antalya, Aydin, Konya, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Karabük, Izmir, Bursa and Istanbul (No.1 Bakery Workers Branch), and regional representative offices in Ankara, Antalya, Adana, Bursa, Istanbul, Izmir, Konya, Sakarya and Kayseri. It publishes a monthly bulletin called „Gida-Is Bülten" and a periodical called „Gida-Is Gazetesi".

The union reported 100 members in 1956, 11,653 in 1972, 14,773 in 1974, 16,390 in 1975, 32,740 in 1980, 29,078 in 1996 and 30,497 in 1997.