Female municipality workers: The Istanbul Convention is ours, we will not give it up

Dilek OMAKLILAR
İzmir 

Female members of the DİSK affiliate Genel-Is union's Izmir Branch No. 2 stated that they will not give up the Istanbul Agreement and emphasized their readiness for struggle.  Workplace representatives also touched on the articles that concern about 1,800 female workers in the draft collective bargaining agreement with Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and İZENERJİ, and added that they will do their best to achieve menstrual leave. 

"WE STAND BEHIND OUR JUST DEMANDS"

Sule Alpsoy, an employee of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Social Projects Department's Vocational Factory Branch and a member of the Genel-Is İzmir Branch Discipline Board No. 2, talked about the collective agreement process that is currently at the mediator and explained the articles related to female workers.

Alpsoy said, “One of the 3 articles in our collective agreement that concern about 1,800 women is that they can open up breastfeeding rooms to breastfeed their children, while the second is the prevention of discrimination and the safeguarding of gender equality.  These terms have so far been accepted.  However, our demand for menstrual leave has not yet, and this demand is our red line as the branch management and the Women's Commission.  We are doing our best to make sure this term is also accepted,” she said.

Reminding that as the Genel-İş Women's Commission No. 2, they announced their menstrual leave demands on their social media accounts using the tag "#Reglizniistiyoruz" [we want menstrual leave - the translator], Alpsoy said, “The difficulties experienced by working women at work, in the fields, at home are countless.  For this reason, I would like to repeat that the right of one-day menstrual leave per month, which is granted to civil servants, is also the right of us workers. We stand behind this justified demand," she said.

"WE CANNOT ACCEPT THE CONVENTION WITHDRAWAL"

Speaking about the decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, Alpsoy said, "The midnight's decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention increased anxiety and concerns. In a country where at least 3 women are killed every day, who will take responsibility for the consequences arising from withdrawal from a convention protecting women? Women are murdered, tortured, harassed, abused... For our whole society I believe that we should stick with the Istanbul Convention, which is an important step towards preventing all kinds of discrimination and violence against women. Thus, we cannot accept the withdrawal from the convention." 

"WE WILL CONTINUE OUR STRUGGLE"

Ebru Ivgen, Chief Administrative Affairs Representative of the Genel-Is Branch No. 2, firstly mentioned the clauses in the collective agreement draft and said, "Two of our 3 demands on women's rights and gender equality have been accepted. Our only item that has not yet passed is the right to take a one-day menstrual leave per month. This clause is actually granted to civil servants in the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.  We want this discrimination of the workers to be lifted as soon as possible and the demand to be accepted. We will continue our struggle as long as such divisions are tolerated in a period in which violence, mobbing and discrimination against women continue to increase." 

"OUR ISTANBUL CONVENTION WILL STAY"

Ivgen also said about the Istanbul Convention, "Although we are a signing party, this convention, which has problems in being implemented, is tried to be terminated by a one-man decision."

Reminding that the convention only aims to prevent violence against women and domestic violence, Ivgen said, “As a woman, I will never accept this decision, which constitutes an attack on my rights, while femicide and violence have increased so much in our country. The Istanbul Convention is ours, and it will stay that way," she said. 

"THEY ARE TRYING TO LEGITIMATE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY"

Sevgi Bilir, the Chief Security Representative of İzmir Metro, said, “News of violence came atop the difficulties of making a living due to the increasingly difficult economic conditions. The common point in the stories of thousands of women who have been murdered, beaten, intimidated, is the incapable mentality that never wants to accept that women are individuals or free will. These mentalities are trying to legitimize the crimes against humanity they committed on the grounds of ‘she wore it too short, laughed too loud, wanted to work, burned the food, came home late, etc.’.  However, there is no explanation for violence in any way," she said.

"What else has to happen so that they can relate to those women who are harassed, beaten, victims of murders with unknown assailants, beaten by father, brother, husband, victim of honour killings, on the road, on the bus, on the subway, in the cafe, in the bar, in the middle of the street in front of their house, seen as sexual objects, judged by their clothing." Bilir continued:

“I wonder if one of the millions of women who under the fear of never seeing their children again and the worry that their families would be harmed could not divorce their husbands and kept quiet, submitting to the lethal violence they were subjected to, were the daughter, sister, or mother of one of those who chose not to apply this law, would anything change?" 

"WE SHOULD MAKE OUR VOICE HEARD TO TURN DOWN THIS WRONG DECISION"

Bilir: “We will continue our struggle despite the indifference of the state organs and some segments of the society.  It's not just the No. 2 branch nor DISK, nor is it just women. Together with all unions, non-governmental organizations and all our citizens, we must decisively speak out and do everything we can to reverse this wrong decision. Violence is not our destiny." 

"WE WILL CONTINUE OUR FIGHT WITH THE SAME DETERMINATION"

Mehtap Özdemir, İZSU Security Representative, also said, "Although we are responsible for the murdered women, it is discussed today to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention overnight with the decision of one person.  All the while the femicides have increased in recent years."

Özdemir also added:

“However, there is something that is forgotten, and that is that there's nothing women cannot achieve with struggle. Just as March 8, International Working Women's Day turned into a common victory day for women, the Istanbul Convention, in which we have important rights, will also become a victory. We will continue our struggle with the same determination and spirit."