EXTENDED SUMMARY

Not only in the Textile, Weaving and Garment sectors but also in many other sectors, the destructive aspects of the union rivalry have revealed negative consequences for both unionized and non-unionized workers. According to many recent surveys, distrust of trade unions, the assumption that becoming a member will not change the situation, that trade unions will not fulfil expectations and disbelief in unionists are at around 45 percent.

In addition, some of the more common methods of the union busting can be summarized as follows according to our observations and investigations.

1-Pressure and intimidation and termination of employment contracts of frontline workers for different reasons (most common examples are low productivity, substandard production, etc.)

2- Identifying workers who are unionised through various methods and forcing them to resign from their union with the threat of dismissal,

3-Leaking workers’ e-government passwords through various methods to find out whether they are unionized or not, and discriminating against those who are unionized,

4- Employers sometimes use these mechanisms indirectly through employer representatives. In some cases, masters, foremen, shift supervisors persuade and influence workers to resign from their unions.

5- Another method used is to increase the various benefits provided to workers and thus indirectly convince them that there is no need for a trade union. At this point, it is an important problem that the worker’s membership bond with the union is based solely on material grounds.

6-Another way is that the employer summons the other trade union, which is a competitor of the union in the organizing phase. In this case, the other union cannot be completed the organising due to the influence of the rival union, and the workplace became a non-union enterprise.

7-One of the common examples in this regard is that even if the unionisation is completed, the rival union objects to the other union’s authorization. This situation generally necessitates a judicial settlement and prolongs the process (on average, the judicial process varies between 2-5 years), and workers leave their union membership because the union cannot conclude a CBA, and finally the workplace became non-unionized enterprise.

Although 56 years ago four unions came together to sign a solidarity agreement (SADA), there are, of course, many different reasons why similar solidarity among unions cannot be achieved today. Nevertheless, a similar solidarity is an urgent problem for trade unions, particularly in an environment of such globalization of capital.

The settlement of union competition should be reached through the adoption of the majority principle at the workplace level. The implementation of majority certification with fair labour peace and representation can to some extent lessen the destructive effects of competition on workers.