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The union has called for action from the company’s UK head quarters. The accusations include claims that Tesco Kipa's store management are guilty of workplace harassment, threats and dismissals of union members.

In a press release issued at a public meeting outside the Tesco Kipa Silivri Store in Istanbul, TEZ-KOOP-IS accused the Turkish Managers of Tesco Kipa of committing a crime and violating the legal and constitutional rights of the workers. Since 2003 the union has tried to organise representation in Tesco Kipa stores but during that process many workers have been dismissed or have seen their prospects for promotion deliberately blocked.



TES-KOOP-IS claims that it has tried without satisfaction to solve the problems via dialogue with Tesco Kipa. Instead the union and the workers had to face the use of outdated methods from store management who have penalised union members, cross-examined them and forced some of them to resign. Those who resisted to the pressures were dismissed with incorrect reasons.

The Turkish law, the Turkish Republic constitution and international agreements guarantee union membership to be a legal right. The union urged Tesco headquarters to call the local management to account and to act to these outdated attitudes.



TEZ-KOOP-IS announced today that it will make a complaint to the public prosecutor about the Human Resources Manager of the Silivri store who it claims has threatened union members, forced some to resign their union membership and dismissed others.



Tesco entered Turkey’s retail market in 2003 after buying out the Kipa stores in Denizli and Izmir and operates under the name Tesco Kipa, which employs 8,000 workers in Turkey.