International boycott hits labor meeting in Istanbul
Protesting Ankara’s crackdown on dissent, two of the largest international labor organizations and dozens of national trade unions have boycotted a major multilateral meeting in Istanbul.
ANKARA, Turkey — The 10th European Regional Meeting of the United Nations' International Labor Organization (ILO), held Oct. 2-5 in Istanbul, was overshadowed by the protests of international trade unions and labor organizations, which boycotted the meeting.
Ahead of the gathering, representatives of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the largest labor confederations of Germany and Britain visited Ankara in May for a series of meetings with the Turkish government, ministries and bar associations. The Turkish members of ITUC and ETUC — the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Turk-Is), the Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions, the Revolutionary Trade Unions Confederation and the Hak-Is confederation — also took part in the meetings.
