A Call to Action Against Mobbing and Discrimination Against Female Artists

We are deeply concerned about the situation faced by our female artists working at the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet, and we wish to openly share this with the public. In our discussions with our members and female artists, we have learned that artists who seek to assert their rights within the institution, engage in union activities, or request a change in title are subjected to various forms of workplace harassment. We view bringing this situation to light as our responsibility. The information in this statement is based on documents in our union’s possession and relevant legal proceedings. Since the matter is before the courts, we will continue to follow the process through legal channels while respecting judicial decisions. However, our expectation of the institution is clear: that our questions be answered, that the allegations be evaluated with proper justification, and that the issues be resolved.

Artists who have resorted to legal and union channels to address irregularities within the institution have not been assigned duties; their existing assignments have been terminated; thereby being humiliated in front of their colleagues, subjected to discrimination in the assignment of duties, having their applications for title changes rejected without justification, and being subjected to disciplinary penalties, including salary and bonus deductions. Many of the legal proceedings initiated against these actions have been resolved in favor of our artists. Based on the documents and information obtained by our union, it has been observed that in some title change evaluations, the same criteria were not applied equally to all applications; committee members’ own applications were evaluated by the same committee; it has been observed that the assignment of roles within the choir is carried out in a non-transparent manner, with some artists not being assigned actual duties for extended periods, while others are listed as on leave and temporarily assigned to other institutions. Role assignments in productions are made based on personal connections, and staffing adjustments are carried out without passing through oversight mechanisms. The fact that artists often learn about developments within the institution not from management but from audience members and social media posts is noteworthy in terms of the institution’s dialogue with its artists. This situation is an issue that requires separate consideration in terms of institutional communication and transparency.

We call for the evaluation criteria and committee decisions regarding title change applications to be made well-reasoned, written, and transparent; for committee members to recuse themselves from applications in which they have a personal interest; for written criteria accessible to everyone to be established for the assignment of choir and solo roles; that the reasons for temporary assignments, leaves of absence, and job rotations be explained; that disciplinary actions imposed or threatened due to union activities be independently investigated; and that an impartial complaint and investigation mechanism be established within the institution to address workplace bullying and gender-based discrimination—we will once again convey these demands to the new administration.

We reach out to female artists who have had similar experiences: you are not alone. In solidarity,

This statement was also published in BirGün: Article published in BirGün