Our union was founded on July 10, 1952, under the name Istanbul Journalists’ Union.

In 1957, it became a member of the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş).

In 1963, it transformed into a national organization under the name Turkish Journalists’ Union (TGS). Unions organized in other provinces also held their general assemblies and joined the TGS.

In 1965, the TGS became a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

At our extraordinary general assembly in 1971, it was decided that all workers employed in newspapers, magazines, and news agencies would be organized under a single union.

In 1996, a bylaw amendment was made to allow radio and television workers to join the TGS as well.

With a legislative change in 2013, the name of the industry sector in which TGS operates was changed to “Press, Publishing, and Journalism.” This made it legally possible for printing press and publishing house workers to become TGS members as well.

TGS became a member of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) in 2005.

In 2020, TGS was admitted to the UNI Global Union. Thus, in addition to the IFJ and EFJ, TGS was accepted into yet another international umbrella organization.

Today, TGS continues to defend the economic and social rights of workers as the recognized union at 13 different workplaces in the media sector, with approximately 1,700 members.

 

You are not alone—you have your union

The Journalists’ Union defends our economic and social rights,

fights to lift the pressures on our work,

helps establish democratic and participatory management in our workplaces,

and provides us with legal support when we face problems.

Working without a union means being deprived of your rights, working under conditions that violate the constitution and the law, and being subjected to arbitrary practices. In democratic countries, all journalists are union members.

 

WHAT IS THE TGS WORKING TOWARD?

-To resist pressure from employers and the government,

-To defend our labor rights,

-To put an end to the exploitation of interns,

-To secure the release of our colleagues imprisoned for their journalistic activities.

The Turkish Journalists’ Union stands with media workers. We are the union.

 

HOW CAN I BECOME A MEMBER?

-If you are a salaried employee (whether covered by Law No. 212 or not), you can join the TGS.

-Your membership will remain on hold until our union becomes the recognized union at your workplace.

-To join the union, simply log in to the system using your e-Government password and follow these simple steps.