Labour Party (EMEP), Turkey

* Workers and labourers virtually poured to Sihhiye Square, Ankara (the capital of Turkey) for the “Democracy and Rights Rally for Bread, Peace and Freedom” organised by the Confederation of Workers’ Trade Unions of Turkey (Türk-Is). While the mass of the people participating in the demonstration reached one hundred thousand and weren’t able to fit into the square; even the pouring rain could not prevent the participation.

* It would be apt to describe the TEKEL workers as “flooding” the Sihhiye Square on the 34th day of their resistance in Ankara and their 3rd day of spending the night on the street. The workers, as determined as the first day they have arrived in the capital, have demanded “General strike, general resistance”.

* Even though the rally was organised by Türk-Is; there was great support from not only the trade unions affiliated to Türk-Is but also from the Confederation of Revolutionary Workers’ Trade Unions (DISK) Confederation of Public Sector Labourers’ Unions (KESK), Confederation of Public Sector Workers’ Unions of Turkey (Kamu-Sen), Confederation of Independent Public Servants’ Unions (BASK), Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), Turkish Medical Association (TTB), the Labour Party (EMEP), Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP), Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) as well as other forces of labour and democracy.

* The TEKEL, Fire Brigade and Sugar workers that have spoken from the platform all expressed that the gas bombs, the pressurised water, the police truncheons have not been able to intimidate them nor would they do so from now on. They stated their determination in taking their rights. The TEKEL workers called on Türk-Is to decide on a “general strike”... The angry workers got on the platform and, chanting the slogan “Türk-Is to duty, to general strike”, expressed that now it is the time for a general strike.

The workers and labourers participating in the Türk-Is Rally acted as one and warned the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government. All together, the workers and labourers demanded that Türk-Is call for a “general strike”. The TEKEL workers on the other hand, occupied the platform at the end of the rally and shouted out that “now was the time for a general strike”.

THE TEKEL WORKERS MARCHED SEPARATELY

The streets could not contain the TEKEL workers who started their march with their raincoats on and their placards and banners up. The women workers were up front while their male friends took to the sides and back of their cortege. The TEKEL workers entered the square with their claps, whistles and slogans in unison. The workers marched with a placard right up front stating that this was the 34th day of their resistance and their answer to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comment describing them as ‘500 people’ was loud and clear: Tayyip Tayyip come and see/Count how many are we...

The Fire Brigade workers sacked by the Istanbul Municipality, the workers dismissed from the Esenyurt Municipality (an industrial district in Istanbul), the energy workers claiming “we will not allow the energy privatisation” and the workers organised in the trade unions affiliated to Türk-Is were joined by the KESK Platform of Ankara Branches and various trade unions affiliated to DISK.

SLOGANS INTERRUPTED THE PRESIDENT OF TÜRK-IS’S SPEECH

After the Türk-Is President Mustafa Kumlu’s name was announced; slogans rose from the square stating; “Türk-Is to duty, to general strike”. His speech accompanied with slogans Kumlu thanked the TEKEL and Fire Brigade workers for their determined struggle. Kumlu said; “Those who forget that labour is the most supreme value tend to also forget who we are sometimes. At such moments we come out to the squares, stand up all together and remind them of who we are..”.

Continuing his words with; “Let’s say this does not work; what do we do then?”, the workers response to Kumlu’s question was to interrupt his words with slogans of “General strike, general resistance”. Kumlu carrying on his speech with; “We show them the red card when the ballot box is put in front of us at election time”, met with a lot of reaction from the workers.

THE WORKERS OCCUPIED THE PLATFORM

Kumlu refusing to make a call for a “general strike” increased the anger of the workers. When it was announced that Alisan (a singer who sings a combination of pop and arabesque type of music) would be giving a concert after Kumlu got off the platform; the workers occupied the platform chanting “general strike, general resistance”. The announcements stating that the platform would collapse did not prevent the TEKEL workers either. For a long time the workers continued to call out; “Kumlu over here!” and summoned him to make a promise about the strike from the platform.

‘THEY COULDN’T STOP US’

Hatice Konak, a female TEKEL worker who spoke on the platform on behalf of the TEKEL workers, mentioned their struggle of 34 days and the gas bombs, the pressurised water and the truncheons aimed at them and said; “They couldn’t stop us, they couldn’t intimidate us and they will not be able to intimidate us”. Konak said; “We were 12 thousand and now we are hundreds of thousands” and continued with; “They made us really angry, we are very very furious. They lied to us. We have resisted privatisation for 15 years. We said that TEKEL is like our homeland, that you don’t sell your homeland. But that is exactly what they did. Shamelessly they blamed us. They accused us of taking what belonged to the orphans of this country, of earning money by doing nothing. Shame on you, shame! We didn’t sit by idly... While you were selling and plundering we made TEKEL a tax champion. While you were buying yachts for your children, handing out tenders to your supporters we earned our money with the sweat of our brow and honestly.”

Konak called out to the AKP government with the following words: “You just sold and sold. It is you and your damned regime that has created the millions of unemployed”. While Konak said; “We will not surrender to you! No way!, she stated that they would not be intimidated and that they were determined to continue their struggle until they got their rights. Konak’s words were met with the slogan; “We will leave an honourable future to our children/What about you”.

THE FIRE BRIGADE WORKERS WON’T BE DAUNTED EITHER

Vedat Kaya, speaking on behalf the fire brigade workers resisting in Istanbul, greeted the struggle of the TEKEL workers. Pointing out that the fire brigade workers are the first people to come to mind in times of flood, earthquake and natural disaster Kaya stated that they continue to run to everybody’s help in spite of their tens of martyrs and veterans. Stating that their only agenda is working and living like a human being Kaya has compared everything that has been done to them with the “persecution of the Jews by Hitler”. Emphasising that; “Those that speak out, those who struggle are shamelessly, immorally told that there are 6 million unemployed” Kaya stated that they do not want this system of slavery.

‘9 THOUSAND SUGAR WORKERS WILL BE LEFT UNEMPLOYED’

Sugar worker Sema Akyol also underlined that they will not allow their sugar factory to be privatised. Akyol pointed out that the privatisation of the sugar factory would be a blow to both the industry and agriculture and said that this privatisation would not only leave 9 thousand people jobless but would affect 6 million people together with the farmers. Akyol expressed that the sugar workers will resiliently continue their struggle against privatisation.