A panel titled "The Position of Domestic Workers in Working Life: Organisation, Social Security and Occupational Health and Safety" was held on May 15, 2026, at the Şehit Bekir Can Kerek Conference Hall of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. The event brought together trade union representatives and academics to examine the organising rights, social security entitlements and occupational health challenges facing workers in the domestic services sector.
The event opened with a short film prepared by the Domestic Workers section of the Hizmet-İş trade union. Faculty Dean Prof. Ender COŞKUN delivered the opening address, followed by HAK-İş Confederation President Halil ÖZDEMİR, who drew attention to the structural challenges surrounding working life in domestic services.
The panel session, moderated by Prof. Handan KUMAŞ, featured three presentations examining different dimensions of the sector.
Asaleddin YILDIZ, an expert at Hizmet-İş, opened with a presentation titled "The Organisation of Domestic Workers: Trade Union Representation, Collective Rights and the Struggle for Visibility." YILDIZ addressed domestic workers' access to trade union rights and the ongoing efforts to raise the sector's visibility in public and policy debates.
Prof. Oğuz KARADENİZ assessed the social security rights of domestic workers, covering the scope of existing entitlements, the barriers workers face in accessing those rights, and the policy reforms required in the period ahead.
Prof. Kamil ORHAN closed the panel with a presentation titled "Occupational Health and Safety for Domestic Workers: Risks, Violations and Protective Policies." ORHAN outlined the physical and psychosocial risks of working in private households, documented instances of rights violations, and proposed protective strategies to address these challenges.
The event concluded with a question-and-answer session and a closing address.