Celik: "the govt will protect both employees and employers from the global crisis"

Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Celik said yesterday that the government was determined to protect both employees and employers from the fallout of the global economic crisis, adding that they will do whatever is necessary towards this end. Stressing that the government's top priority is to ensure employees not lose their jobs at a time of global crisis, he pledged such steps as making it easier for workers to use unemployment insurance and providing financial help to companies having difficulties paying their employees. Touching on government efforts to expand union rights for civil servants, Celik also said that they were planning to eliminate all differences between workers and civil servants on union rights, putting them under the same umbrella classification of employee.