International Partnership from Petrol-Is: Workers' Rights in the Automotive Supply Chain on the Table!

ISTANBUL - Petrol-İş Union, in partnership with IndustriALL Global Union and Germany Metal Union IG Metall, hosted an important coordination meeting as part of the "Labor Rights in the Automotive Supply Chain in Turkey" project. On September 29, 2025, a full-day meeting was held at Petrol-İş Headquarters to discuss protection and implementation of workers' rights in the automotive supply chain in the light of international legal regulations.

Critical Evaluation with International Participation

The opening speeches of the meeting were made by IndustriALL Global Union Deputy Secretary General Kemal Özkan, Petrol-İş General Secretary Ahmet Baranlı and Petrol-İş Executive Secretary Ali Haluk Koşar.

The delegations attending the coordination meeting demonstrated the importance of the issue:

• Experts from the German metal union IG Metall.

• Ann-Katrin Schewe, one of Germany's United Nations (UN) Global Compact Managers.

• Experts from Petrol-İş, Lastik-İş, Türk Metal, Birleşik Metal-İş and Kristal-İş Unions from Turkey.

Updated: Germany's LkSG Law and the Duty of Care

The main agenda item of the meeting was the LkSG law (Supply Chain Duty of Care Law), which makes it legally binding for Germany-based automotive manufacturing companies to comply with labor rights in their supply chains in Turkey.

The legal and practical implications of these international regulations, also known as the "Liability of Care Act", and how they will be implemented in Turkish supply chains were discussed in detail. The law aims to hold German companies accountable for human rights and environmental standards in their supply chains.

The Role of Trade Unions and Planning for 2026

Participants discussed the importance of trade unions' role as monitors, supervisors and advocates in Human Rights Due Diligence Regulations (HRDD) processes. The tasks that trade unions can undertake to improve working conditions and access to trade union rights for workers in the supply chain were discussed.

The meeting ended with the planning of concrete steps and cooperation mechanisms for activities in 2026. This international cooperation is considered a critical step towards protecting the rights of thousands of workers in the Turkish automotive supply industry in line with international standards.