The Civic Space Talks, which form the basis of the publication, were held online between December 2023 and June 2024 under the facilitation of Dr. Ali Alper Akyüz. The resulting content was compiled with the contribution of volunteer authors from participating organisations and Alper Akyüz as editor.
Although civil society organisations operate on a voluntary basis, the increase in the number of paid employees in recent years makes labour relations in this field more visible and debatable. However, while the number of publications evaluating working practices in the civilian field is quite limited, this study was prepared to contribute to the field by being aware of such a deficiency.
What is in the publication?
In the first part, Dr. Ali Alper Akyüz discusses labour processes in civil society organisations within a conceptual framework.
The second part focuses on human resources management in CSOs. Many topics ranging from recruitment processes to the adaptation process, from performance evaluation to remuneration and fringe benefits are evaluated from the perspective of the organisation and the employee.
The third section deals with employee rights and union organisation in civil society. In this section, it is emphasised that even in supposedly rights-based organisations, employees may face various violations of rights; project-based employment creates precariousness; and the distinction between volunteer and paid employees continues to exist as a structural dichotomy.
The fourth chapter deals with financial sustainability in times of crisis, sustainability of employment policy and labour relations, and labour relations.
The final chapter evaluates the suggestions and contributions of the participants and authors on labour relations and human resources management, which is an important topic of discussion in the field of civil society organisation management.
With this publication, we aim to contribute to a more fair, transparent and sustainable approach to labour relations in civil society as a comprehensive resource that can be used not only by CSO workers but also by managers, policy makers and researchers.