With all the attention here in Turkey being focused on the upcoming June
7th parliamentary elections, the strike by thousands of workers in
Turkey's automobile production sector, concentrated in the northwest
provinces of Bursa and Kocaeli, caught everyone by surprise. For those
of our readers who did not know, Turkey has a significant vehicle
manufacturing industry. In 2014, 1.17 million cars and commercial
vehicles were produced. In fact, it is the backbone of Turkey's export
sector with a yearly value of nearly 23 billion dollars. So when auto
production is virtually shut down, as it was for the past week or two,
this is big news.
We
spent most of our working lives in the U.S. working union
jobs, as steelworkers and railroad workers, although we did our time in
non-union workplaces as well. We are well aware of the sorry plight of
unions in the U.S. but, believe us when we say that we were privileged
to work under union contracts. In spite of how bad our union leadership
might have been, and it was about as bad as it could be, workplace
safety, wages, benefits and job security was better than for the
overwhelming majority of workers without union representation.
Previously, we have written about the long hours, low pay and dismal
working conditions of the Turkish working class. The deaths of workers
in the mines and on construction sites are some of the highest in the
world. The 301 coal miners who died in a mining disaster in the town of
Soma a year ago have become a national symbol of the life-and-death
issues that workers here face every day they go to work. The unexpected
downing of tools by thousands of autoworkers here in the midst of the
election campaign has again brought the issue of workers' wages and
working conditions forcefully back onto the national agenda. More than
that, it has highlighted the demand of the workers to be represented by
unions of their choice, free from company or government control.
The strikes in auto here have been wildcat strikes, organized by the
rank-and-file without notice and without the approval of their union
leaders. Workers at Oyak Renault (a joint venture with the Turkish
military's pension fund) and Tofaş (a joint Fiat/Koç Holding venture),
Ford Otosan as well as major parts suppliers and Türk Traktör stopped
production for more than a week. Oyak Renault and Tofaş produce some 40%
of Turkey's export vehicles. While most have now gone back to work
having negotiated concessions from the companies in wages and working
conditions, Renault workers at Turkey's biggest car factory have
rejected the company's offer and remain on strike. Thousands of workers
have resigned from their company 'union', frustrated and angry that it
did not represent their interests. Forty-seven strike leaders have been
summoned to court by a prosecutor, accused of organizing an illegal
work-stoppage. To be able to understand these developments, readers
should be aware that most unions in Turkey were effectively smashed in
the aftermath of the 1980 military coup. The unions that were allowed to
exist were company and military-approved 'unions'. Their purpose was to
ride herd on the workers, put a damper on militancy, keep production
running and ensure that company profits were protected. In addition to
these company unions, the military-written constitution of 1982 severely
curtailed workers' rights. The result is that today only 8% of Turkey's
workers are union members, only about 4.5% are covered by union
contracts, and most of the major unions defend the company's interests
more than they do the workers'. It is in this context that the wildcat
strike of autoworkers can best be understood.
These wildcat strikes have been a wake-up call to both workers and their
bosses. The speed with which the strike spread and the resolve shown by
the workers shows an incredible courage that has been an inspiration to
the downtrodden Turkish working class and a message to Turkey's
powerful business class. No matter the results of the June 7th election,
we can expect that those who work to create Turkey's wealth will be
flexing their muscles and demanding that their voices be heard.
from here
Solidarity with workers worldwide!
No comments:
Post a Comment