Canada : Letter to Turkish Ambassador condemning the mass suspension of over 15,000 teachers
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario
Fédération des enseignantes et des enseignants de l'élémentaire de l'Ontario
136 Isabella Street, Toronto, Ontario M4Y 0B5
Telephone: 416-962-3836 Tollfree: 1-888-838-3836
Fax: 416-642-2424
Website: www.etfo.ca
July 22, 2016
His Excellency Selcuk Unal
Ambassador of the
of Turkey to Canada
197 Wurtemburg Street
Ottawa, ON K1N 8L9
Dear Ambassador:
On behalf of The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario’s 78,000 members, I urge your government to reverse the widespread and unjust punishment of Turkish teachers and academics. It is unconscionable that over 15,000 teachers would be suspended en masse and for academics to be prevented from leaving the country.
ETFO calls on the Turkish authorities to respect international conventions protecting the trade union rights and academic freedom of all education workers.
We urge you to consider the detrimental effect these actions are having on students. Failure to reverse this blanket retaliation on educators could have generational repercussions.
Yours sincerely,
Sam Hammond,
President
SH:JT:VO