APPEAL FOR DONATIONS
The recent earthquakes are strongest to hit Turkey since 1939 and big cities such as Adana, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Diyarbakır, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, Malatya, or Hatay are critically affected. At the time of writing the death toll stands at over 17,500, with many more missing and thousands displaced.
The TUC works closely with the trade union federations in Turkey DISK and KESK. DISK and KESK have many members in the concerned areas and are gathering all possible efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the trade-unionists and their families during this tragic period.
The TUC is calling for contributions from trade union branches to go to the ITUC-Asia Pacific Natural Disaster Fund to help support the relief efforts. To help ensure that donations from UK unions are earmarked for our sister unions in Turkey, please include a payment reference “DISK & KESK” with your donation.
The ITUC-AP Bank Account is as follows:
ITUC – Asia Pacific DBS Bank Limited 12 Marina Boulevard Marina Bay Financial Centre, Tower 3 Singapore 018982
Account No: 003-945670-0
Swift Code: DBSSSGSG
Payment reference: DISK & KESK
Building solidarity with Turkey is a priority for the TUC’s international work. The TUC has a history of supporting trade unions in Turkey and it is increasingly a priority for our affiliates, as recent motions to TUC Congress 2016 and 2018 demonstrate.
The TUC maintains close fraternal relations with KESK and DİSK, our sister trade union centres.
Turkey has been identified as one of the 10 worst countries for workers by the International Trade Union Confederation’s annual survey of worker’s rights, the Global Rights Index. The TUC and affiliates want to see an immediate end to abuses against workers, infringements on democratic norms and human rights, an end to the mistreatment of the Kurdish community, the release of all political prisoners, and the release of Abdullah Öcalan as a step towards peace talks, and engagement in a peace process
