David Cockroft, general secretary Hava-Is, the Turkish aviation workers union, has called on the chairman of Turkish Airlines, Hamdi Topcu, to open a dialogue with the union over a dispute caused by the firing of 300 Turkish employees at the airline and 45 at Turkish Technic that were fired via text message and email after they broke a ban on strike action.
Cockroft said: "The company's behaviour is utterly at odds with its ambitions to be a European and global leader, and is perceived by transport unions and others worldwide as unreasonable and unnecessary.
"This dispute has already dragged on for over two months. The management of Turkish Airlines has nothing to lose and everything to gain by participating in a dialogue in good faith, with a view to finding a favourable outcome."
He added: "We urge you personally to take charge of the situation now and to show the leadership and management skills that are required to achieve an equitable and positive result."