HAK-İŞ Holds Critical Meetings at ILO: Informal Employment and Working Life of Syrian Migrants on the Agenda

GENEVA – Mahmut Arslan, President of HAK-İŞ Confederation, held an important meeting with Maria Helen Andre, Head of the ILO ACTRAV (Bureau for Workers' Activities), within the framework of the 113th International Labour Conference organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva from June 2-4, 2025. In this critical gathering, where global and local issues of working life were discussed, key agenda items included combating informal employment, the rights of domestic workers, and the integration of Syrian migrants under temporary protection into working life.

HAK-İŞ Model in Combating Informality: The Domestic Workers Project

During the meeting, General President Mahmut Arslan addressed HAK-İŞ's pioneering role in combating informal employment. He reported on the progress of their "Domestic Workers Project," launched to bring approximately 1.3 million domestic workers nationwide into registered employment and secure their social rights. Arslan stated that 55,000 domestic workers have already been unionized under the project, and joint efforts with the ILO Turkey Office are ongoing. This project aims to bring domestic workers under the scope of labor law and include them in unionization.

Working Life of Syrian Migrants and Proposed Solutions

The integration of approximately 3.5 million Syrian migrants in Turkey into working life, work permits, and the prevention of informality were also important topics of the meeting. Mahmut Arslan drew attention to the difficulties in this area, stating that HAK-İŞ has held solution-oriented meetings with the government and relevant ministries.

Arslan emphasized that the change in the regime in Syria has initiated a new dialogue process, and there are deep-rooted relations between the Syrian Government and the Syrian Trade Union Confederation (GFTU), which is also a counterpart for HAK-İŞ. Recalling that HAK-İŞ and GFTU signed a cooperation agreement to solve the problems, Arslan underlined their desire to develop a tripartite project involving HAK-İŞ, GFTU, and the ILO Turkey Office. He expressed his belief that this cooperation would create significant resolve in bringing informally employed individuals into registered employment.

Full Support and Appreciation from ILO ACTRAV to HAK-İŞ

Maria Helen Andre, Head of the ILO ACTRAV, stated that they closely follow and appreciate HAK-İŞ's efforts concerning working life. Particularly commending HAK-İŞ's work with GFTU in the new period, Andre said, "HAK-İŞ's efforts are crucial not only for human dignity but also for the regulation of working life in Turkey." Andre emphasized that ILO ACTRAV would do its utmost to ensure the successful completion of the ongoing collaborations between HAK-İŞ and ILO Turkey Office.

This meeting once again demonstrated HAK-İŞ's effectiveness in the international arena and its solution-oriented approaches to critical issues in Turkey's working life.