On 20 January 2020, a presidential decree was published that gave the union’s land to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The union also learned that the operation was being done as if in an emergency with high priority and haste.
The Genel-İş objected to this theft, which has not been officially acknowledged or even communicated to the union. In its statement, the labour organisation said the land will be taken over by the government and will be rented long-term to a private investor for touristic investment, which may mean building expensive hotels and restaurants. The statement called attention to the fact that other real estate owned by private parties around the union’s property had not been confiscated or nationalised. Only the workers’ land had been targeted. There are rumours that a golf club is also planned when the property is confiscated and privatised.
The union is planning on challenging the presidential decree in the high courts, and if it can’t get results that return the land back to the rightful owner (the union), they will apply to the Human Rights Court in the European Union.