A mechanical engineer and fifteen union members who led the organizing effort have been fired and refused unemployment and severance benefits. Now in their second week of picketing outside the company's offices, the workers have vowed to remain until the fired are reinstated and the threats of subcontracting cease. 

This latest attack on trade union rights is part of a long-standing government tradition of disregarding independent trade unions and their rights. Just this year, PSI filed a complaint with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Assocation over the government's widespread interference with lawfully concluded collective agreements in the municipal sector.

Additionally, on April 21, 2026, an international delegation representing PSI, EPSU, and affiliates from the UK, Sweden, Italy, and France attended the court hearing for 15 female union leaders from the public sector. The hearing concluded with the full acquittal of all the women, ending a nearly 14-year ordeal marked by prison threats, harassment, and travel bans.   

It is not without reason that Türkiye retains its long-held position as one of the top 10 worst countries for workers’ rights. The government has a long track record of crushing basic labour rights. Union busting and violations of the right to freedom of association, for example, are regularly deployed as retaliatory tactics by the state and employers. 

PSI calls on all its members to support the workers of Bursagaz in their struggle for decent working conditions and their right to unionize and collective bargaining without interference from employers and the government.