PodcastTop Turkish tuna fish brand accused of discriminating against Roma job applicants
Turkey's largest seller of fish, Dardanel reportedly discriminated against Roma women who applied for positions at a factory. While the women weren't even called in for an interview, the company blamed the incident on the contracting hiring firm.
Seçkin Sağlam / DUVAR
University artists, children in Mersin turn neighborhood into 'monument of Roma culture'A group of women who applied for jobs at the Dardanel tuna fish factory in the province of Çanakkale were told that they would not be hired due to the fact that they were Roma, Social Exclusion and Discrimination Prevention Association Chairman Hüseyin Çay said.
The seven women were reportedly turned away by Dardanel's hiring team without even being allowed to fill out applications.
“We have the recording of when one woman later called the subcontracting office and was asked whether or not she was Roma, and this is an even bigger scandal,” Çay said.
Çay met with representatives from Dardanel's human resources department, who apologized to the women and said such discrimination was out of the question.
Çay said that the company attributed the incident to the irregularity of the subcontracting firm tasked with hiring.
Though not recognized as an official minority, there are several million Roma in Turkey who frequently face discrimination due to their appearance, or are not hired because their address is located in a Roma neighborhood.
“We condemn this occurrence of discrimination in Çanakkale, and we strongly condemn the fact that it was done by a well-established local company. We will be following the matter and plan on initiating a legal process,” Çay said.
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