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UNI Global Union has expressed alarm at the wave of dismissals and suspensions of Turkish workers in the aftermath of last weekend’s attempted military coup. The Erdogan government has now implemented a 3 month state of emergency, which is being used to crack down on civil liberties, the right to freedom of association and further weaken democracy.

Reports from Turkey indicate that some 27,000 public employees have been suspended or dismissed, in the education, interior and finance ministries as well as other government departments.  Nearly 3,000 judges and prosecutors have been detained or dismissed, 1,500 University Deans asked to resign and 77 district and provincial governors have been removed.

“We condemn the attempt by a section of the military to take over the country by force,” said UNI Global Union general secretary Philip Jennings.

“We call for the full application of the rule of law in the investigations into those responsible and eventual legal proceedings against them.”

“The scale of reprisals in the wake of the military coup have been worrying, and we must fight back against the trend of undemocratic authoritarianism in Turkey. Legal process must be followed in these trying times, and the government clampdown on civil society must be halted.”

“It is also of grave concern that the Turkish authorities, in the hours and days immediately following the failed coup, have launched a large-scale programme of dismissals and suspensions of workers.”

“Workers have the right to their own political opinions, and the right to peaceful opposition to government policies, without the threat of summary dismissal or suspension.  We urge the Turkish government to respect the rights to freedom of expression and association in full.”

“Events in the country are still developing, and we would like to stand in solidarity with our Turkish affiliates, NGOs and all those seeking to build a democratic Turkey based on peace, equality and freedom.”