Leo
17th June 2008, 23:42
I returned from Istanbul today, where I went with other EKS comrades and students from Middle Eastern Technical University to attend the announced one day strike in the ship building and repairing industry in Tuzla, Istanbul, against the horribly unsafe working conditions which resulted in the death of a hundred workers in about less than a year. The strike, on the other hand, was a tragic fiasco, and according to the numbers we heard from some unionists and reporters on the ground, the number of striking workers was about a hundred out of the 40,000 working there. For the 100 striking workers, about 2,000 as far as we heard attended the protest, mostly from leftist parties. Here's what the English language version of a mainstream paper says:
The workers of Tuzla fail to unite
‘The strike to live,' one day show of force by the workers of Tuzla shipyards in protests against deaths at work, fails to attract workers, most of whom chose to work in order not to face dismissal ... Striking workers and their supporters met at four different points in the area and walked to Tersaneler Street early in the morning. Striking workers from time to time argued with other workers, who wanted to pass by and go to the shipyards to work.
For the full article:
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107472
There were some discontent among striking workers towards the union bosses. A few workers interrupted the union leaders speech angrily shouting "long live class solidarity". As far as we heard there, it is very likely for the workers who went on strike to be fired and the companies already said that they will be fired. The way the strike was "organized" by the trade-union seemed to be merely dedicated at attracting students, leftist groups, and most importantly media. Obviously most of the workers in Tuzla felt that this was not their strike. Lots of people crossed the picket lines :crying: The trade-union had managed to completely alienate the militant and striking workers from the rest of the workers there.
Anyway, there will be a detailed article written by the EKS on this.
The workers of Tuzla fail to unite
‘The strike to live,' one day show of force by the workers of Tuzla shipyards in protests against deaths at work, fails to attract workers, most of whom chose to work in order not to face dismissal ... Striking workers and their supporters met at four different points in the area and walked to Tersaneler Street early in the morning. Striking workers from time to time argued with other workers, who wanted to pass by and go to the shipyards to work.
For the full article:
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107472
There were some discontent among striking workers towards the union bosses. A few workers interrupted the union leaders speech angrily shouting "long live class solidarity". As far as we heard there, it is very likely for the workers who went on strike to be fired and the companies already said that they will be fired. The way the strike was "organized" by the trade-union seemed to be merely dedicated at attracting students, leftist groups, and most importantly media. Obviously most of the workers in Tuzla felt that this was not their strike. Lots of people crossed the picket lines :crying: The trade-union had managed to completely alienate the militant and striking workers from the rest of the workers there.
Anyway, there will be a detailed article written by the EKS on this.