There is a new class struggle wave in
Firstly the alcohol plant was privatized and then tobacco and cigarette factories were sold to British American Tobacco Company. The ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party – so called ‘moderate’ Islamists) government cancelled TEKEL workers’ existing contracts and forced them to accept a new contract which means loss of salary and social rights. The contract is known as 4-C.
The 4-C contracts were formulated by the government for seasonal employment in public sector. After privatization of the state owned companies like TEKEL, the workers of the privatized companies were forced to accept 4-C contracts. The 4-Contract proposes a 11 months employment for workers, which means 11 months of salary in a year. The workers under 4-C contracts update their contracts every year and so, are faced with unemployment every year. Also, they have to accept to move to another job or another city when they accept 4-C contact. TEKEL workers would be charged with a reduction of their wages from 800 USD to 550 USD if they accept the 4-C contract. On the other hand, they will lose their right of organization in trade unions since they are not considered regular employees!
TEKEL workers declared that those conditions are unacceptable. They marched to
AKP Government is attacking workers’ rights
The government and prime minister are in a very aggressive attitude against workers. Turkish puppet government is applying IMF policies and they have no tolerance for a workers resistance. The AKP government followed IMF directives and sold TEKEL alcohol and spirits plants to a national consortium (MEY) by $292 million in November 2003.
“Yet, at that date the stocks of those plants were already valued at $126 million! What’s more, the company was known to have incurred a huge purchase of raw materials totaling $70 million using public funds just before the exchange of ownership. In addition the state had forgiven TEKEL’s existing debt to the public banks and the Treasury totaling $200 million, and had further announced that it had assumed the severance payments of the retirement compensations of the existing workers (totaling approximately another $25 million) nine days prior to the privatization. The new owners were further granted with bank credits with no down payment for a period of two years. The “new owners” in turn had re-sold the alcohol and spirits component of TEKEL to Texas Pacific Group by a total of $900 million! This gift has been earned without any actual payment to the state until then. The private owners of TEKEL dismissed their “promised” obligations for maintaining production activities and since 2003, five of the enterprises were shut down, displacing 12,000 workers”(1) (Erinç Yeldan-Economist).
TEKEL mobilization unmasks the real face of AKP government as a puppet of imperialism and makes visible to the eyes of the masses they have no tolerance to the workers. Police attacked TEKEL workers and other demonstrators which were organized to support them. Prime minister threats TEKEL workers stating that the resistance is illegal and imposed adeadline to the end of February to stop the resistance. AKP is too much decided not to step back since they plan to attack workers’ rights in other sectors as state-owned ‘Turkish Sugar Factories’. It is estimated that 135,000 workers will be faced with 4-C contracts in the near future because of the IMF directives.
Workers democracy against union bureaucracy!
Today, there is a lack of revolutionary worker leadership independent from bourgeoisie and which would lead workers to real solution. In these conditions, workers unions are the most important organizations to lead resistance against government’s attacks. Unfortunately, unions are controlled by the bureaucracy. TEKEL mobilizations also meant a big pressure on Turk-Is bureaucracy. After police attack, workers decided to continue their struggle in front of Turk-Is building. In fact, the struggle started 8 months ago but the bureaucracy recognized it as a serious one only after workers walked to
TEKEL workers demanded a general strike from their union and union bureaucracy and their pressure forced bureaucracy to accept an one day strike. Six confederations decided to organize a general ‘warning strike’ on February 4th. However, one day before the strike, two confederations (Hak-Is and Memur-Sen) whose bureaucracy is close to the government declared that they would not participate in it. Some unions of Turk-Is also declared they couldn’t go on. The bureaucracy pretended they were going on strike but in fact they didn’t organize a real one. The government members, AKP parliamentarians called unions of professionals not to realize a strike. As a result they only seemed to go on strike. It is clear now that union bureaucracy betrayed TEKEL workers and working class.
The only solution is independent and unified working class struggle
On the other hand, TEKEL workers have big social support and they are decided to fight for their rights. Existing union bureaucracy will go on their betrayal. The mass initiative of the workers is to fight for winning support from all sectors of working class. We need to struggle by all means to support TEKEL workers. All the organizations claiming to be workers organizations have to unite to support TEKEL workers struggle. The struggles of different sectors have to unite. TEKEL workers show us how to fight. We call all the workers to force trade unions and struggle against their bureaucracy to give support to TEKEL workers. The success of TEKEL workers will carry the working class struggle one step forward.
Long live TEKEL workers’ fight!
Stop privatization, nationalize the companies privatized!
Workers League www.iscilerinbirligi.org
Revolutionary Worker- Revolutionary Communist Movement www.devrimci.org
