United Metal-İş Publishes Guide on Combating Violence and Harassment at Work

ANKARA - Birleşik Metal-İş, one of the most important trade unions in the Turkish labor movement, has prepared a special guide for its representatives in order to launch a comprehensive fight against violence and harassment in the workplace. The booklet titled "Guidelines for Combating Violence and Harassment in Working Life" was published by the union's Equality Department and made available on the union's website on August 21, 2025. This study stands out as a concrete step in Birleşik Metal-İş's "zero tolerance" policy against gender-based violence and harassment.

Purpose and Scope of the Guide

The guide, prepared by United Metal-İş, specifically targets workplace union representatives. Its aim is to raise awareness among representatives about gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work and to ensure that they take a common, correct and effective stance against such incidents. The guide explains in detail both preventive measures and effective interventions in the event of violence or harassment.

The booklet, prepared in line with the basic principles of the union, centers on the struggle to create a safe working environment free from violence and harassment for all workers, regardless of gender, gender identity or sexual orientation, or status. With this study, Birleşik Metal-İş once again demonstrates its resolute stance against gender-based physical, sexual, psychological, economic violence, mobbing and retaliation.

Emphasis on International Conventions

The guide draws its legal basis from the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey and relevant legislation, as well as important internationally recognized conventions. The booklet specifically refers to the International Labor Organization's (ILO) 190 Convention on Violence and Harassment and Recommendation 206, as well as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Istanbul Convention. This emphasis demonstrates the union's commitment to international norms, taking its struggle beyond national borders.

Birleşik Metal-İş's campaign, which calls on workers to "keep silent against harassment" and "organize against violence and harassment", aims to make a significant contribution to the protection of workers' rights to work in a dignified and egalitarian environment. The guide is available to all metal workers and the public on the union's website.