History

Today known as the Turkish Metalworkers’ Union, the Union of Metal, Steel, Ammunition, Machinery, Metal Goods, Automotive, Assembly and Auxiliary Workers of Turkey was established on July 10, 1963, under the umbrella of TÜRK-İŞ Confederation, through the unification of regional metalworkers’ unions that had been operating independently until that year. The organization was initially founded under the name “Federation of Metal Workers of Turkey”.

At the First General Assembly of the Federation, held on  January 19, 1964 , the founding President Kaya Özdemir was elected as the President. Starting its journey with 8,650 members, the Federation of Metal Workers of Turkey rapidly expanded its membership through successful organizing activities, achieving notable growth in a short period of time. Alongside its organizational success, the Federation also secured significant gains for its members through effective collective agreements, thereby strengthening the protection of workers’ rights and interests. As a result of these efforts, the Federation’s membership increased swiftly, reaching nearly 20,000 members within a short span of time.

At the 6th Ordinary General Assembly of the Federation of Metal Workers of Turkey, held on November 16, 1973, the Federation’s legal entity was dissolved, and a transition was made to the national trade union model. Following this restructuring, the Federation adopted the name Turkish Metalworkes’ Union. On November 17, 1973, the First General Assembly of the Turkish Metalworkers’ Union was convened. During this assembly, Enver Kaya was elected as the President, Aydın Özeren as the Vice - President, Mustafa Özbek as the General Secretary, Muammer Gül as the General Financial Secretary, and Ergül Özşahiner as the General Organization Secretary, thereby forming the Union’s first Executive Board. The founding members of the Turkish Metal Union were: Enver Kaya, Aydın Özeren, Fehmi Işıklar, Rıza Yurdakul, Talat Akpınar, Mustafa Özbek, Zahir Aykul, Sami Ataç, İlhan Dalkılıç, M. Ali Dölek, İ. Hakkı Süren, Aslan Yılmaz, Raşit Özkan, Recep Demir, Abdullah Serdaroğlu, Ali Kaya, İsmet Cantekin, İbrahim Erhan, Lütfü Öztürk, Sedat İnal, İbrahim Kızılgör, Nazım Yıldız, Enver Öztürk, Fevzi Korkmaz, Ergül Özşahiner, Hasan Tanerbaş, İsmail Eryılmaz, Turhan Sarıer, Muammer Gür, Saffet Gökçen, Saffet Akşemsettinoğlu, İdris Sağbaş, Mustafa Bayraktar, Ahmet Polat, Nuri Tınık, Tekin Semerci, Orhan Başaslan, Yusuf Acar, Baki Yeşiloğlu, and Muzaffer Ayal.

Following the dissolution of the Federation’s legal entity, the independent unions that had previously come together under the Federation began to affiliate with the Turkish Metalworkers’ Union. However, as the process of affiliation progressed, President Enver Kaya and Vice - President Aydın Özeren  were unable to complete the integration of their respective unions into the Turkish Metalworkers’ Union. Consequently,  Enver Kaya resigned from his position on October 30, 1974, and Aydın Özeren on November 30, 1974. In response to these developments, the Executive Board of Presidents of the Turkish Metalworkers’ Union  convened and appointed Kaya Özdemir as the President of the Union.

The Second Ordinary General Assembly  of our Union was convened in Ankara on November 8, 1975. During the Assembly, Mustafa Özbek, who had been serving as the General Secretary of the Turkish Metalworkers’ Union, was elected as the President. A new Executive Board was formed with the election of Ergül Özşahiner as Vice - President, Muammer Gül as General Secretary, Vicdan Durudoğan as General Financial Secretary, and Avni Çarsancaklı as General Organization Secretary. Following its Second Ordinary General Assembly , our Union expanded its organizational efforts nationwide, reinforcing its presence and influence across Turkey’s industrial landscape.

Following the September 12, 1980 military coup, Turkey entered a new political and social era marked by the restriction of workers’ rights and freedoms, and the suspension of the right to strike and engage in collective bargaining. During this difficult period, our Union made tremendous efforts to prevent further erosion of workers’ rights. It first launched a rapid and determined organizational campaign across workplaces to strengthen the representation of metalworkers under challenging conditions. Once the right to strike and collective bargaining was restored, our Union—like other trade unions—focused on regaining the rights lost by workers through effective collective agreements in organized workplaces. At the same time, our Union continued to resist government policies that sought to suppress both public and private sector workers under the harsh economic conditions of the period. In 1987, it made history by initiating the first strike in the public sector at the Seydişehir Aluminium Plant and the Antalya Ferrochrome Plant. After 62 days of steadfast struggle, our Union succeeded in breaking the government’s resistance, thus earning its place in history as the first trade union to overcome the political authority’s obstinacy through the strength and unity of its members.

Our Union, Turkish Metal, with a long history of major struggles and strikes, launched in 1990 the MESS Strike, the largest strike ever organized in the private sector in the history of the Republic of Turkey. When collective bargaining negotiations with the employers’ association MESS failed to yield results on behalf of 85,000 workers across 230 workplaces, our Union took decisive action. The 30-day strike concluded with a historic victory for metalworkers, marking one of the most significant milestones in the Turkish labor movement.

In the 1990s, amid a deepening national economic crisis, our Union once again took a stand when the burden of the crisis was placed on the shoulders of workers. On July 3, 1994, 70,000 workers gathered at Fomara Square in Bursa to participate in the “Warning Rally Against an Indifferent Government and Irresponsible Employers.” Two years later, on September 14, 1996, at the same square, our Union organized another mass rally to protest the government’s decision to permit duty-free imports, which jeopardized the livelihoods of metalworkers. Through the “Respect for Domestic Production” rally, attended by tens of thousands of metalworkers, Turkish Metal once again led the struggle against government policies that disregarded workers and threatened domestic industry.

In addition, during the 1990s, our Union launched a comprehensive education campaign aimed at empowering members with the knowledge and awareness necessary to understand both existing and potential social and economic challenges. This initiative sought to equip members with the competence to defend their rights individually, even in the absence of direct union intervention. During the same period, our Union also embarked on a facilities development initiative, establishing numerous social and recreational facilities across various regions of Turkey and in Cyprus. Through these efforts, Turk Metal became a pioneer of service-oriented trade unionism, directly enhancing the social well-being and quality of life of its members and their families. Importantly, the scope of these education programs was expanded to include not only union members but also the spouses of members, reflecting our Union’s holistic approach to strengthening the social and educational foundation of the working class family.

Our Union has long served as a model for other trade unions through its innovative activities and pioneering initiatives in working life, inspiring them to re-evaluate and modernize their organizational approaches and structures. A prime example of this forward-looking vision is the Joint Training Project, launched at the beginning of 2000 in cooperation with the employers’ association, the Turkish Employers’ Association of Metal Industries (MESS). For the first time in Turkey, a workers’ union and an employers’ union came together to implement a comprehensive training program for workers—an unprecedented collaboration in the country’s industrial relations history. This project not only achieved remarkable success nationally but also gained international recognition, being cited in 2010 by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as a model initiative for fostering social dialogue and workplace cooperation.

Guided by the principle “We Want to Produce, Earn, and Help Others Earn”, Turkish Metalworkers’ Union continues to be the strongest pillar in the workers’ struggle for rights and dignity. Remaining steadfast in its mission to unite all metalworkers lacking trade union protection under its roof, the Union reached 284,541 members as of July 2025, thereby maintaining its position as the largest trade union in Turkey.

With its constructive and positive approach to industrial relations, our Union has played a significant role in the advancement of Turkey’s industrial sector. Today, Turk Metal continues to operate as the authorized and representative union in numerous leading workplaces across the automotive, white goods, electronics, iron and steel, and subsidiary industries, contributing actively to the stability, productivity, and social dialogue that underpin Turkey’s industrial success.

Thanks to the strong solidarity among metalworkers  under the roof of Turk Metal, the rights and benefits secured through collective agreements have consistently surpassed those in other sectors, even under the challenging conditions of their respective periods. In particular, the Group Collective Bargaining Agreements conducted with MESS, which includes some of the largest industrial corporations in Turkey, have produced outstanding achievements. These successes have not only elevated the standards of metalworkers but have also earned the respect and admiration of the entire Turkish working class, setting a benchmark for collective bargaining across all sectors.

With the introduction of social trade unionism in the 2010s, followed by the development of a new generation unionism approach, our Union began to touch not only the lives of its members but also those of their spouses and children, ultimately becoming the largest family in Turkey. During this period, Turkish Metalworkers’ Union continued its facility investments without interruption, opening several new social and recreational establishments for its members across the country. Among these are the Anadolu Hotels Esenboğa Thermal, Grand Mercure Ankara, Didim Prive Hotel, Büyük Anadolu Karadeniz Ereğli Hotel, and Uptown Büyük Anadolu Girne Hotel, each serving as a symbol of the Union’s commitment to improving members’ quality of life. In addition, our Union expanded its support to the field of education, establishing Büyük Anadolu Higher Education Girls’ Dormitories in Ankara and Istanbul for the daughters of union members pursuing university education, ensuring they benefit from safe, comfortable, and high-standard accommodation facilities.

Today, our Union—recognized as one of the strongest and largest unions affiliated with the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-İŞ)—operates through a robust organizational structure comprising 37 branches across the country. These branches are located in: Aksaray 1, Ankara, Ankara 3, Balıkesir, Biga 1, Bolu, Bursa, Bursa 1, Bursa 2, Bursa 3, Bursa Emek, Bursa Osmangazi, Çerkezköy, Çorlu, Düzce, Eskişehir 1, Gebze 1, Gebze Dilovası, Gemlik, Gölcük, İskenderun 1, Istanbul Anadolu, Istanbul 1, İzmir, İzmir 1, Kapaklı, Kayseri, Karadeniz Ereğli, Kırıkkale, Kocaeli, Kütahya, Manisa, Manisa 1, Sakarya, Tofaş, Tuzla, and Vestel.

Placing great importance on international solidarity among workers, our Union is a proud member of both IndustriALL Global Union, which unites thousands of trade unions across more than 200 countries, and IndustriALL European Trade Union, representing 7 million workers in 38 countries. Moreover, our Union is a founding member of the International Eurasian Metalworkers’ Federation (UAMIF), an organization representing nearly 15 million workers from 20 countries across the Eurasian region.