Bilgi University becomes the first private university to unionize in Turkey

After being acquired by an American education company, Laureate, (starting with this academic year, 2009-2010), Bilgi University employees of all sorts (academics and administrative workers) had been increasingly having job security issues as well as anxiety for possible policy changes. There haven’t been many concrete cases to encourage this rise of anxieties (but of course there have still been many such as using budgetary measures to postpone my appointment, or a never ending buzz word of ‘cost reduction’) but new administration did not seem to manage the gossip factor well. In this context, a unionization movement had its immediate success reaching nearly 400 members. Total number of Bilgi University employees is around 1200 and when membership reaches half of the employess, the Union will have a collective bargaining power… I haven’t been involved in this unionization movement except becoming a member recently. Our union is Sosyal İş which is part of DİSK (Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey), the third biggest trade union confederation in Turkey. After rumors of intimidation, the Rector publicly stated that they did not oppose unionisation and this may end lead to even faster unionisation in near future…

here is a list of news appeared in Turkish:

http://www.bianet.org/bianet/diger/120885-bilgi-universitesi-calisanlari-sendikada-orgutleniyor

http://www.milliyet.com.tr/vakif-universitesinde-ilk-sendikalasma-/ekonomi/sondakika/25.03.2010/1216215/default.htm?ver=03

http://www.emekdunyasi.net/tr/article.asp?ID=7545

http://www.sondakika.com/haber-istanbul-bilgi-universitesinde-sendikal-orgutlenme-1973073/

http://haber.sol.org.tr/sonuncu-kavga/ozel-universitelerde-ilk-sendikalasma-haberi-25834

http://www.haberler.com/istanbul-bilgi-universitesinde-sendikal-orgutlenme-haberi/

http://www.gercekgundem.com/?p=263179

http://www.radikal.com.tr/Radikal.aspx?aType=RadikalDetay&ArticleID=987690&CategoryID=77

http://www.internethaber.com/bilgi-universitesi-calisanlari-ilki-gerceklestiriyor-239785h.htm

http://www.guncel-haber.com/5959218/haber_vak%C4%B1f_%C3%BCniversitesinde_ilk_send/

http://www.t24.com.tr/haberdetay/73343.aspx

http://abbasguclu.com.tr/universite/vakif_universiteleri_de_sendikalasiyor.html

http://ekonomi.haberturk.com/makro-ekonomi/haber/503188-vakif-universitesinde-bir-ilk

http://www.ivmedergisi.com/25/03/2010/bilgi-%C3%BCniversitesi-%C3%A7al%C4%B1%C5%9Fanlar%C4%B1-sendikada-%C3%B6rg%C3%BCtleniyor.ivme

http://www.sendika.org/yazi.php?yazi_no=29863&ref=bm

http://www.gorelesol.com/haber/haber_detay.asp?haberID=536

http://gundem-online.net/haber.asp?haberid=88804

http://www.alomaliye.com/goster.php?id=25928

http://www.internethaber.com/bilgi-universitesi-calisanlari-ilki-gerceklestiriyor-239785h.htm

http://www.etha.com.tr/Haber/2010/03/25/emek/ozel-universitelerde-ilk-sendikal-orgutlenme/

http://www.kizilbayrak.net/sinif-hareketi/haber/arsiv/2010/03/25/artikel/170/bilgi-ueniversit.html

http://www.ozgurradyo.com/index.php?haberno=1873

http://devrimciproletarya.net/?p=4380

http://friendfeed.com/sosyalizm/f465a7ab/ozel-universitelerde-ilk-sendikalasma

http://www.kolayeval.com/news/detail/19556/Istanbul-Bilgi-Universitesinde-sendikal-orgutlenme-

http://www.sosyal-is.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=253&Itemid=184

http://www.korhaber.com/ozel-universite-akademik-kadrosu-sendikali-oldu.php

http://birlikdayanisma.com/v3/2010/03/sosyal-isten-orgutlenme-atagi/

http://www.telehaber.com/haberler/haber-1974033/

http://www.on5yirmi5.com/genc/content.aspx?c=16385

http://www.ateshirsizi.net/istanbul-bilgi-ueniversitesi-8217-ne-t11229.html?s=22567285679f9a5e05ce99d72adfebc6&

http://www.radikal.com.tr/Radikal.aspx?aType=RadikalHaberDetay&ArticleID=987821&Date=26.03.2010&CategoryID=97