23 thousand workers of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, members of the DİSK General-Labour Union, went on strike with great enthusiasm on Thursday 29 May.
The strike of Izelman, Izenerji and Egeşehir workers of the municipality has reached its fifth day. The big actions of thousands of workers on the streets of Izmir have raised the spirits of the working class and continue to make the bosses nervous. Garbage is piling up on the streets of Izmir and bus services have been disrupted. While the municipality offers the workers a 29.16% raise, which is below the inflation rate, the workers both reject this rate and demand equal pay for equal work.
The striking workers are demanding the same wages and social rights as workers doing the same job for other companies of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. In short, the main aim of the strike is to get equal pay for equal work. The main backbone of the strike is to oppose discriminatory remuneration at different companies in the same sector. The mayor accused the workers of demanding too high a salary. He says that he will not be able to fulfil the services if he gives this much to the workers. During the day, he makes suggestions that won’t change the outcome. He’s doing everything he can to prolong the strike.
The strike leads to a class-based rupture with the CHP
The municipality is defaming the strike and targeting the workers with all its means. So much so that Mayor Cemil Tugay offered to hold a referendum for the people of Izmir on the amount he proposed to the workers. He offered to collect the garbage himself. Some members of the municipality and CHP tried to pick up the garbage and acted as scabs. The mayor put on gloves and started collecting rubbish. District municipalities are trying to reduce the impact of the strike by collecting the garbage accumulated on the streets to break the strike. In short, the Municipality and CHP are attacking the strike with all their means. They cannot stomach the strike. The municipality wants the workers to accept whatever the municipality proposes to the workers and to give up the collective bargaining process.
Opposition defends the Medium Term Programme
So much so that, they stress over and over that the minimum wage is 22 thousand TL (~USD$570). He practically supports the programme of Economy Minister Mehmet Şimşek by saying “how can you ask for 60 thousand when the minimum wage is so much less?” They stingily defend the austerity policies of the medium-term programme.
If the strike of the Izmir municipality workers wins, it is possible that a wave of strikes will take place that could stop the regime. The workers of Izmir have lit the fuse. Although the AKP is happy because it is a CHP municipality, this strike will also hit the regime. Workers in AKP municipalities are closely watching the strike. The victory of the Izmir strike concerns 1 million municipal workers. The victory of these workers will have a great impact on other working class sectors. The strike of the Izmir municipality workers has already turned into a national event.
A multi-faceted discussion has started. One of the promises of a strike to society is that it will be talked about on a social level.
It is extremely important to show more solidarity for the Izmir Municipality workers to win.
