The barriers to the public servants trade unions in Turkey: The collective contract process

The subject of this thesis is determined as "The Barriers to the Public Servants Trade Unions in Turkey: The Collective Contract Process". Today, the trade union rights, as a fundamental human right, regulated in the domestic legislation of many countries. The right to trade union is also guaranteed by international conventions as an indispensable element of democratization. In the Republic of Turkey, trade union rights of the employees are regulated for workers by the Law of Syndicates and Collective Bargaining (No. 6356); and for the public officers by the Law of Public Servants Syndicates and Collective Bargaining (No. 4688). As a result of the distinction between workers and civil servants, the trade union experiences of civil servants and the problems they face also have different characteristics. The aim of the present work is to examine the trade union experiences of public officials in the historical process, identify the problems faced by the public officials in the collective bargaining processes and to propose solutions. While trying to reach this goal, the definition and elements of the trade unions, the concept of public officials, trade union rights of public officials in international documents and historical development concerning the syndical movements of public officials in Turkey were also examined. Key Words: Public servants, Public servants syndicates, the right to strike, trade unionism, compulsory arbitration