Education unions in Turkey and the evulation of the activities

This research studies unions on education branch of the work, their view points on basic problems of education, evaluation of activities carried out by the so called unions, and teachers' opinions on teachers unions. The research field of this study is five education unions ( Türk Eğitim-Sen, Eğitim-Bir, Eğitim-Sen, Demokrat Eğitim-Sen ( and Tem-Sen) and teachers working of basic primary education schools in eight central towns in Ankara. In the field study, any model has not been selected from present education unions, thus, modeling comprises five education unions. In order to designate the opinions of teachers on education unions, totally 143 teachers who work basic primary education schools in Sincan, Mamak, Keçiören and Çankaya townships of Ankara have been selected by using degree modeling technique. Research datum have been received by using regulations, publications, bulletins, press release, declarations of education unions, and opinions of administrators of unions by the questionnaire advanced by Kurt(1994) in order to determine the opinions of teachers and adapted to the research subject by the researcher of this study. Questionnaire comprises two parts. The first part includes personal knowledge, and also the second part includes questions determining the teachers' points of views on education unions. The percent and frequency of answers to the questions given by the teachers have been calculated. The " Chi Square" was applied in order to determine whether there is a meaningful difference with regard to sex, marital status and professional rank as to teachers' points of views on educational unions. Furthermore in the application of Chi Square Test, in the 2x2 crosswise tables, when freedom degree (sd=l) does not meet the mentioned condition, theresults of "Fisher Complete Probability Test" have been taken into consideration. That there is a meaningful difference has been tested on the level of.05. The results which have been received from the research are briefly given bellow; 1-The first Educational Union was founded in 1990 and the number of them raised to seven, and after the enactment of "Public Officials Unions Act" on June 25, 2001 (Act number: 4688), the number of education unions have decreased to five. They are Türk Eğitim-Sen, Eğitim-Bir, Eğitim-Sen, Demokrat Eğitim-Sen and Tem-Sen. After the enactment of the above-mentioned Public Officials Unions Act, The Union of Education Staff decided to unite with Eğitim-Sen, and Turkish Union of Education Staff decided to maintain its activities as an "Association". 2- The Act on Public Officials Union, which was enacted after long struggling, gives public officials right to found unions and right to collective negotiation, but does not give right to strike. However, the present Education Unions desire right to strike, right to collective bargaining and right to join political activities. 3- Educational Unions support the application of "Norm list of government officials", and eight-year basic education, however, they want the problems to be solved. 4- Educational Unions wish that teaching profession should be profitable and a distinguished career, and importance be given to training teachers. 5- Man teachers become members of unions more than woman teachers. 6- Teachers, wish that right to collective bargaining should be given to the teachers' unions.7- The opinion that unions should act more politically takes place in the first reason why teachers do not want to be members of the unions. 8- As regards joining the activities organized by unions, teachers who have 11-20 years of seniority join frequently, teachers who have 21 and more years of seniority join rarely, and teachers who have 10 and less years of seniority join rarely, and teachers who have 10 and less years of join seniority join never. 9- Teachers know only four unions founded on the education branch of work, but they do not know the others.