04.01.2022 Adana
Adana Chamber of Industry Arbitration and Mediation Center was opened with a ceremony attended by M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and Cemil Çiçek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TOBB UYUM Mediation and Dispute Resolution Center.
Speaking at the opening,
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the tradition of mediation goes back a long way,
“Due to the excessive file load, the slow functioning of the judicial system
has always been the subject of complaints. The average case lasts 2 years in
first-degree court. Then it continues in second-degree court for another two
years. At this point, alternative solutions have to come into play. In fact, we
as a nation are no strangers to this issue. Centuries ago, our ancestors began
to implement this.”
Stating that the Akhi
tradition formed the basis of mediation, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “In the Akhi
tradition, which formed the basis of our chamber, commodity exchange and
community, the akhis would solve the trade disputes. What does it say in our
culture: facilitate, don't exacerbate. Then we forgot about it, Europe took it
from us and improved it. During Mr. Cemil Çiçek's ministry, the foundations of
mediation had began being laid. After TOBB and our chambers took on this job,
mediation was made mandatory in labor-employer disputes, commercial disputes
and consumer disputes. The use of this system has increased day by day. The
number of files coming in here is close to 2.5 million. 70% of them ended up
with a deal. The trials that used to last for years ended in days and weeks, so
access to justice has accelerated. It's also a win-win method. Because people
have been spared the loss of time and the long process that has worn them out
financially, and our judicial system has been spared an important workload.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated
that the mediation center was implemented in 55 chambers throughout Turkey.
“390 mediators have also started to work in these centers. I invite the
mediators to take part in our centers. Once such infrastructure was provided,
these centers increasingly led our business world to mediation. Currently, the
number of applications to mediation across the country has reached 100,000 per
month. So the step we took was a success. Information about this issue
increased in society and people began to see the benefits of it. For example, a
2-year inheritance case involving 28 different people in Seydişehir was solved
in 4 hours in mediation. Any arrangement that will facilitate our trade,
strengthen our economy and judicial system, and contribute to our social peace
is important and valuable to us.”
Noting that the legal
system is the main pillar of the state and the economy, Hisarcıklıoğlu said,
“If the law is strong, people's trust in each other, institutions and the
system increases. If a sense of justice and trust is strong in a country, the
economy of that country is also strong. In our culture and faith, the place of
law is very important. Because we want a Turkey where right makes might, not
might makes right. We are a nation that believes that justice is at the heart
of property. That's why we need to keep the balance of justice. We must work to
make the right strong.”
Cemil Çiçek, Chairman
of the Board of Directors of TOBB UYUM Mediation and Dispute Resolution Center,
spoke about the importance of the project.
Zeki Kıvanç, President
of Adana Chamber of Industry, said, “One of the issues that our business world
always complains about is the slow functioning of the judicial system due to
excessive file load. Our employers know that very well. If you've been sued by
your employee, you have almost no chance of winning the trial. In this context,
we, as Adana Chamber of Industry, start mediation activities in cooperation
with TOBB UYUM as Adana Chamber of Industry Arbitration and Mediation Center in
our region. I hope that it will be good for our city and that our members and
business people will continue their business activities without any conflict.”