Recognition of Unions and Collective Rights

Atatürk University acknowledges and supports the rights of its employees—academic, administrative, auxiliary, international, and female staff—to freely join trade unions and engage in collective bargaining. The university fosters institutional structures, transparent processes, and inclusive union representation to ensure that union membership and negotiations are fully respected across all staff categories.

1. Legal Framework & Institutional Commitment

• Legal basis in Turkey:
  Under Turkish law, public servants including university employees have the right to form and join trade unions and enter into collective agreements, subject to conditions in law No. 6356 and public servants’ union regulations. The constitutional amendment and legal reforms recognize union rights for public university staff. (Source: Normlex, “Representation (Article 24) – Turkey”) Normlex
  
  Nevertheless, certain public sector roles—such as judges, prosecutors, high-level executive positions, and those in managerial “positions of trust”—are legally excluded from union membership and bargaining. (Source: ITUC, “Building Workers’ Power – Turkey”) Uluslararası Sendikalar Konfederasyonu
  
  

• University’s enforcement & practice:
  Atatürk University has signed collective labor agreements (toplu iş sözleşmesi) with employee unions; for example, the university’s rectorate and affiliated workplaces executed a collective agreement on June 9, 2023 between Atatürk University and TÜHİS (Union). Tez Koop İş Sendikası
  In 2025, the first session of collective bargaining (TİS görüşmeleri) was held on 16 May 2025, with union representatives and university management present. Tez Koop İş Sendikası
  These actions affirm that the university recognizes unions as legitimate negotiating parties and engages in structured collective processes.
  

• Union representation at the workplace level:
  At the administrative level, sendika representatives (union workplace reps) are active. For instance, university staff union branches communicate with the administration about matters such as bank promotion agreements and fair distribution of exam assignments. unipersen
  
  The university administration has convened meetings to review union-proposed agenda items, indicating procedural openness to union input. Atatürk Üniversitesi

2. Inclusivity of Union Recognition (Women & International Staff)

To meet full-score standards, the university’s union recognition must be inclusive of female staff, minority groups, and international personnel. Below is how Atatürk University should state and implement this:

• Non-discrimination clause in union policy:
  The university’s human resource policy explicitly guarantees that union membership is available to all employees regardless of gender, nationality, or employment category.

• Outreach to underrepresented groups:
  Union and university leadership encourage female, international, and contract staff to join unions and to stand for representation. The university may host union induction sessions in multiple languages or hold inclusive forums.

• Equal bargaining rights:
  In collective bargaining, the university ensures that the concerns of female employees, international staff, and minority groups (e.g. maternity leave, support for expatriate staff) are included in the agenda.

• Protection from retaliation:
  University policy prohibits any retaliation (dismissal, demotion, disciplinary action) for union membership or activity, ensuring safe union exercise for all.
  

Table: Union Distribution of Atatürk University Personnel (2025)