TO THE PRESS AND PUBLIC!

ATIK | 30 – 06 – 2012 | The long term usurpation of the gains of the working class is continuing intensively in Turkey.  The principle of the attacks is towards the unions of the working class, they are trying to pasify the unions. The unions who are at the front of this struggle, who are opposing the attacks of the system, defending the rights of the working class are being targeted. They are attempting to dissolve the opposing unions creating an easy situation for themselves. At workplaces where they are not able to do this, they are forbidding the workers to use their working class tools such as strikes.

Currently in our country in many work places the basic democratic right of workers to unionize is  being usurped. When they do use this right and become union members they are fired. Or when the collective agreement negotiations are fruitless and therefore workers go on striek, they are fired without any questioning. The AKP government is boasting about the fact that they legalized the right for “any worker who wishes can become member of two unions”, but they are ignoring, are blind to the fact that hundreds of workers are being fired for becoming members of one union.

The workers from BEDAŞ, TOGO, HEY TEKSTİL, SARVANOĞLU, BILLUR TUZ  who were fired because they are union members are continuing their fight to regain their jobs. The AKP government who refuses to acknowledge the demands made during the collective agreement negotiations between the civil workers and the ministry of work, is threatening the workers who went on a one day strike with losing their jobs.

The collective agreement negotiations that are now ongoing for two years between the government and the Civil Aviation union (Hava-Is) is now at a stage of strikes and therefore they have been imposed a strike prohibition. The TA (Turkish Airlines) workers who rejected this and slowed down work were impetously fired with immediate effect. The 305 TA workers, who opposed this have started the resistance following this.

We as the participants to the 23^rd June 2012 European Workers Symposium in Frankfurt Germany, oppose the attacks on the working class in Turkey and  condenm the lawless approach of the AKP government. We support the resistance of the workers who were fired for being union members at the above mentioned work places and those we have not mentioned, and demand these workers to be reinstated in their jobs with all their rights. We condemn the lay offs of the workers who refuse to accept the lawless strike prohibition at TA,  we support the resistance under the leadership of the  Civil Aviation union (Hava-Is), and declare to the public that we are with you and demand that all the workers who are fired to be hired back without further questioning.

 

SIGNATORIES:

Civil Aviation Union (Hava-İş)- Turkey

2nd Branch Municipality Turkey

Leather Trade Union (Deri-İş)- Turkey

Class March- Greece

Gerd Pfisterer, Working Council Chairperson of HSP Dortmund, IG Metal union member- Germany

ATİK (Confederation of Workers from Turkey in Europe)

YDG (New Democratic Youth)

Yeni Kadın (New Women)

ATİF (Federation of Workers from Turkey in Germany)

ATİGF (Federation of Workers and Youth from Turkey in Austria)

İTİF (Federation of Workers from Turkey in Switserland)

HTİF (Federation of Workers from Turkey in Holland)

ATİK France Committee

ATİK UK Committee

ATİK Belgium Committee