Türkiye: Solidarity with the teachers defending democracy


Eric Lee - LabourStart 
Thu, Apr 17, 2025

As you may know, the Erdoğan government in Türkiye has become increasingly authoritarian, jailing opponents and using violence and intimidation in its crackdown on dissent.

As part of this process, the Turkish government has now placed the entire Executive Board of the teachers' union under house arrest.

As the Education International (EI) reported: "Almost 2,000 people, including students, journalists, and lawyers, have also been detained. While independent unions in Türkiye have been facing considerable pressure from Erdoğan's increasingly authoritarian regime, this latest attack marks a significant escalation and highlights the distressing erosion of democracy and rights in the country."

At the request of EI and the education union Eğitim Sen, LabourStart has now launched a major campaign to put pressure on the Turkish government demanding a lifting of all restrictions on union rights and the dropping of charges against union leaders.

Please support the campaign by clicking here.


And some good news, for a change

Less than one month ago we launched a campaign in support of striking Alamo cinema workers in New York City. Over 3,000 of you supported the LabourStart campaign, sending a clear message to the employer. This week those workers won a resounding victory -- click here to learn more.

Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign.



Focus on Belarus

This week the attention of many trade unionists was focussed on Belarus, where the trade union movement was crushed and outlawed three years ago.

* In Norway, the jailed leader of the independent democratic unions of Belarus, Aliaksandr Yarashuk, was awarded the Arthur Svensson International Prize for 2025. Read more here.

* The LabourStart online campaign in support of the embattled unions of Belarus already has over 4,300 supporters. Will you join them? Can you share the campaign with your fellow union members? Click here!

* Want to learn more about the situation of workers and their unions in Belarus? Listen to our recent podcast interviews:

- Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation

- Lizaveta Merliak, exiled Belarusian trade unionist

Thank you for your support!

Eric Lee
LabourStart