The WFTU and Nakliyat İş Union, organized a massive protest against the banning of the strike of glass workers, the new resolution aiming at extorting the seniority indemnity right and unlawful dismissals in the capital of Turkey, Ankara on May 30. The protest started at 3 p.m. with the participation of workers and union leaders. Claiming that we propagandize terrorism, the police forces tried to stop us carrying the banners of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, who are the symbols of the struggle against the unlawful dismissals with decree law as a result of declared state of emergency.
Below is the press release declared during the action by Ali Rıza Küçükosmanoğlu, Presidential Council member of WFTU and President of Nakliyat İş Union.
Press Release
* It means hostility against the workers to ban the strike of 5700 Glass Workers
* Our seniority indemnity right cannot be extorted!
*Stop the unlawful and arbitrary dismissals with the pretext of so-called security and state of emergency in Van Metropolitan Municipality and other public establishments!
As Nakliyat İş Union and WFTU representing 92 million members in 126 countries that carries out class oriented struggle against capitalism and imperialism, we express our solidarity with 5700 Glass Workers affiliated to Kristal-İş whose strike has been banned by the government of Turkey.
Going on a strike is the most effective struggle instrument of workers against the capitalists and employers. Abolishing the right of strike means creating a working environment in which workers are made to work with lower wages just like slaves.
It is not the first time that a strike has been banned in a glass factory in Turkey. The strike of glass workers was also banned in recent years and the Constitutional Court ruled that banning the strike was inconsistent with law.
The right for going on a strike is guaranteed by the Constitution, ILO and many other international agreements. Banning the strike of Glass Workers is also an intimidation to the whole working class. However, we strongly express that the working class, the glass workers cannot be surrendered with these threatens. As Nakliyat İş and WFTU, we will always be in solidarity with the struggle of Glass Workers.
Our seniority indemnity right cannot be extorted!,
The capitalists and their native collaborators, their economic and political organizations desire to eliminate the seniority indemnity right of Working Class nowadays in Turkey. They want to dismiss the workers without having any financial responsibility. They want workers to work without unions and deprieve the workers of their main rights.
A resolution about seniority indemnity right was brought to the Cabinet yesterday. We call the whole working class and our people to struggle against this reactionary resolution and give a powerful response to it.
39 workers who were working in Van Metropolitan Municipality were dismissed a few days ago. The majority of the workers are our union members. No legal reason was shown for the dismissals. After the attempted military coup on 15 July 2016, more than 150.000 people were dismissed. We immediately demand to put an end to this kind of unlawfull dismissals.
We demand to stop the unlawful and arbitrary dismissals with the pretext of so-called security and state of emergency in Van Metropolitan Municipality and other public establishments!
As WFTU and Nakliyat İş Union, we also declare our strong solidarity with Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça who are the symbols of the struggle against the unlawful dismissals with decree law as a result of declared state of emergency. They were arrested while continuing their hunger strike and their health conditions deteriorate day by day.
Glass workers are not alone!
Our seniority indemnity right cannot be extorted!
Stop the unlawful and arbitrary dismissals with the pretext of so-called security and state of emergency in Van Metropolitan Municipality and other public establishments!