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Turkish Consumer Groups Protest Reduction in Arbitration Committees
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Turkey /Culture & Society

Turkish Consumer Groups Protest Reduction in Arbitration Committees

From Cumhuriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Turkey's Ministry of Trade reduced the number of Consumer Arbitration Committees from 211 to 170, centralizing services in major cities.
  • Consumer organizations argue this move makes it harder for consumers, particularly those with weaker economic standing, to seek redress.
  • They have filed a lawsuit with the Council of State to annul the decision, citing concerns about increased workload and delayed processes.

Consumer organizations in Turkey have strongly protested the Ministry of Trade's decision to reduce the number of Consumer Arbitration Committees from 211 to 170, a move they argue centralizes services and distances justice from citizens.

Consumer arbitration committees are the closest face of justice to the people in Turkey.

โ€” Av. Fatih KurdoฤŸluDescribing the role of the committees for citizens.

Av. Fatih KurdoฤŸlu, head of the Izmir branch of the Consumers' Association (TรผkoDer) and a member of the Izmir Provincial Consumer Arbitration Committee, highlighted that the regulation will particularly impede economically weaker consumers from asserting their rights. He emphasized that these committees are a crucial avenue for resolving everyday issues faced by citizens.

In the current system, citizens could easily file complaints about defective products in their local committees. Closing down decision-making mechanisms in districts means moving judicial services further away from the citizen.

โ€” Av. Fatih KurdoฤŸluExplaining the impact of centralization on accessibility.

"Consumer arbitration committees are the closest face of justice to the people in Turkey," KurdoฤŸlu stated. "In the current system, citizens could easily file complaints about defective products in their local committees. Closing down decision-making mechanisms in districts means moving judicial services further away from the citizen. Centralization will clearly cause consumers, already weak against sellers, to refrain from seeking their rights. Justice is being moved away from the citizen."

Centralization will clearly cause consumers, already weak against sellers, to refrain from seeking their rights. Justice is being moved away from the citizen.

โ€” Av. Fatih KurdoฤŸluWarning about the consequences of the reduced number of committees.

KurdoฤŸlu also argued that reducing the number of committees will increase the workload for existing ones, leading to longer processing times. He deemed the reduction unacceptable, asserting it contradicts the spirit of the Consumer Protection Law, which aims to safeguard consumers in an environment where sellers and providers hold more power. "The reduction in the number of consumer arbitration committees is unacceptable. This practice will benefit capital, not citizens," he concluded. The organizations have filed a lawsuit with the Council of State seeking to annul the decision.

The reduction in the number of consumer arbitration committees is unacceptable. This practice will benefit capital, not citizens.

โ€” Av. Fatih KurdoฤŸluConcluding on the negative implications of the ministry's decision.
About this summary

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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