Ei-iE

The General Secretaries of Education International and Public Services International have expressed their deep concern about Turkey’s ongoing and large scale violations of core labour standards to the International Labour Organization.

As thousands of public employees, teachers and academics continue to be dismissed throughout a weeks-long witch hunt following the attempted coup in Turkey, Education International (EI)’s Fred van Leeuwen and Public Services International (PSI)’s Rosa Pavanelli travelled to Geneva to meet with International Labour Organization (ILO) Director General Guy Ryder on 1 August in Geneva.

They told Ryder that they do not accept the Turkish claim that those dismissed were  involved in illegal activities with the purpose of bringing down the Turkish Government. Some EI and PSI affiliates in Turkey are of the view that the attempted military coup on 15 July is a pretext for cracking down on groups and individuals critical of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. The ILO Director General said that his agency is currently collecting information about the situation in Turkey.

Agenda 2030

With the Sustainable Development Goals approach a year since being adopted, the PSI and EI General Secretaries discussed UN strategies and plans to achieve the extensive goals and targets. They drew the attention to attempts made by private corporations to create new "SDG markets" that could weaken the public sector.

Van Leeuwen and Pavanelli requested the ILO Director General that trade unions and the ILO itself actively participate in the international discussions to shape the SDG implementation. Both EI and PSI recognise that the private sector is to play a role in carrying out the 2030 Agenda, but that conditions should be set for their engagement. Pavanelli and van Leeuwen said that public services such as health, education, water and other essential services must be protected against commercialisation.