The nationwide poverty and the increase in the cost of living have been accelerated in the early days of 2022 in Turkey, via increases in electricity bills, rents, grocery costs and deteriorated income. As all these accumulated as a big burden on workers day by day, the working class of Turkey demonstrated decisive and bold start to struggle in the year 2022.
January became the month where the deep antagonism between the labour and capital could no more be obscured with popularistic economic policies by the AKP government. The ridiculous offers for wage increases triggered widespread resistance, opposition and protest in almost all sectors around the country.
Although almost all sectors has experienced some level of mobilization, the struggle of delivery workers of several firms can be considered to be the precursor for the mass mobilization of the working class of Turkey.
The couriers of the Trendyol Express (an agent firm who employs delivery workers for the Biggest online shopping platform of Turkey, Trendyol), who did not accept the boss’s offer of 11 percent raise, stopped working and demanded humane living conditions. On the third day of their strike, the workers formed convoys to ride towards the headquarters located in Maslak, İstanbul for a mass meeting. After the negotiation between the representatives of workers and the management, the victory of the resisting workers was announced. The Trendyol Express workers received a 38.8 percent increase in their wages.
Resistance and strikes of delivery workers in other companies (Scotty, Hepsijet, Aras Kargo) followed Trendyol, and the mobilization has been spreading in a strong willed manner as of the immediate day.
Regarding the delivery workers, Yemeksepeti Banabi (a firm in which the DeliveryHero capital has bought considerable shares some time ago) motorcycle couriers became the symbol for ongoing decisive resistance movements of the Turkish working class in recent years.
Yemeksepeti Banabi couriers have still been struggling against the attacks towards their rights to organize and job security as well as poverty wage rates and nasty working conditions.
List of some recent eminent strikes and resistance movements in other sectors:
Press and Media:
BBC News- Türkçe İstanbul office went on strike for betterment of compensation and wages. After 15 days of resistance they obtained the outcome of their struggle.
Digiturk: Online media platform Digiturk’s workers have started a protest movement against the poor wage increase and working conditions.
Manufacturing:
Alpin Çorap garment factory-: The factory is part of the subsidiary industry for the big garment brands. Workers had started a strike and resistance for betterment of working conditions and compensation. Their demands met and they were reassured job security.
Farplas Otomotiv- Gebze Kocaeli: The workers went on strike for betterment in compensation, working conditions and against the layoffs. They resisted to leave the factory. The bosses responded in a hostile manner and summoned the security forces. Around two hundred workers have been taken into overnight custody. The resistance is still in progress.
Lila Paper Factory in Çorlu, Thrace: The workers who have been sacked on the account of union membership started a sit-in in front of the factory premises.
Batel Electromechanical Factory, Çiğli, İzmir: The factory workers went on strike for better working conditions and compensation. Their demands have partly been met, and they resumed work for now.
Erdal Çorap, Arnavutköy , İstanbul: Garment workers have stone on strike for better compensation.
Kıraç Metal, Eskişehir: Metal workers started a resistance movement against the recent layoffs at the factory. Birleşik Metal-iş union is backing up the movement.
Retail and warehouse:
Migros Megastores Warehouse, Esenyurt İstanbul: The sub-contracted workers at the Migros warehouse resisted the unfair and poor wage increases.
Their movement is expected to receive solidarity and participation from other retail brand’s warehouse workers.
Docks:
Hopa Port, Black Sea : Dock workers started protests and resistance against the deteriorated rights and conditions regarding their work and compensation items.
Right from the early days of the economic and political crises, The Communist Party of Turkey, TKP, acted with the determination that the working class would react to the adverse conditions which the crises raise. TKP has been directly involved in the workers’ mobilizations and actions via the PE Solidarity and Struggle Network.
Workers have not been left alone in their struggle against the poor wage increases, and they strengthened a revolutionary solidarity and bond in the struggle for their rights. PE Solidarity Network sped up the steps to increase the unity and solidarity of the workers while highlighting an active and militant way of struggle. The communication and contact between the struggling groups of workers were supplied via the PE network.
Education:
The teachers, academicians and other education workers have been struggling against the recent draft bill which regulates the working conditions and occupational issues of the teachers.
Various unions have been involved in the resistance and opposition movements, such as: Eğitim Sen; Eğitim-İş for public workers, Birlik Sendikası on behalf of the the private school teachers.
Health:
Health sector workers covering all the levels and ranks (such as doctors, nurses, technicians, scientists, academicians etc.) have been in widespread resistance for the betterment of their income and working conditions, as well as their security in the workplaces. Nationwide daily strikes are being held via unions and occupational bodies in the health sector.
COMMUNIST PARTY IS THE VANGUARD OF THE WORKING CLASS
During these pickets, strikes and mobilizations, TKP branches all around the country struggled within, together and in solidarity with the workers. Many vanguard workers joined the ranks of the Party, many others became friends of the Party.
THE PE NETWORK AT THE FOREFRONT OF STRUGGLES
Moreover, The PE Network, organized upon the initiative of TKP in 2018, has become the voice of the workers right from the beginning of the 2022 mobilizations. The modest struggle at the Nuclear Energy construction site with just a small number of people turned into the voices of thousands of workers and made the bosses take a step back. PE is directly involved in the struggle of the delivery workers since the very beginning of their action. Unity and solidarity have been strengthened, and achievements have been obtained in the work stoppages in the workplaces against the poor annual raises offered to the workers.
PE Solidarity and Struggle Network continues to work with a perspective that will impose sanctions to the capitalist class. PE believes that hope will grow in these days and that the unity of the workers all over Turkey will expand.
