Sendika içi demokrasi: Sendikalaşma ve DİSK Tekstil örneği

The implementation of union procedures in Turkey falls short of democratic norms, especially intra-union democracy. This deficit in union democracy is primarily due to the restricted possibilities for rank-and-file members to interact with union executives, which causes workers to feel alienated from their unions. Due to issues with union democracy, "over-centralized," "oligarchic," and "bureaucratic," unionism has come to dominate in Turkey. This study explores the causes for varying connections between union officials and members and the influence of diverse ideas of union aspires among workers and administrators to better understand the elements that determine the operation of union democracy. Unlike prior research, which focused on the factors that preclude embedding democracy in a trade union, this study focuses on the reciprocal relationship between labor mobilization and intra-union democracy and the sustainability of anti-bureaucratic responses. The objective of this thesis is to analyze the democratic participation mechanisms in unions by examining the position of rank- and-file members inside decision-making bodies as well as the interaction between union officials and members as their connection changes during a unionization process in the textile industry. Based on in-depth interviews with fifteen workers in textile industry in Şanlıurfa and three union officials, this study considers the consequences of changing relations between union officials and members considering its impact on mobilization. Therefore, while viewing the union democracy this research focuses on the labor movement and union recruitment strategies. Keywords: bureaucratic unionism, labor movement, union democracy, union leadership