ATIK | Confederation of Workers from Turkey in Europe | AHM-ATIK News Center
WORLD | 21 – 02 – 2011 | Solidarity message of the International Migrants Alliance to the workers in DESA, Group Suni Leather and Yeşil Kundura.
The International Migrants Alliance is expressing solidarity with the workers in DESA, Group Suni Leather and Yeşil Kundura who remain adamant in upholding their rights and steadfast in continuing their struggle against repression and exploitation.
The oppression committed by the employers and owners of these leather factories and companies against the workers deserves the strongest condemnation. No worker deserves to be treated like a slave. No worker
deserves to be prevented from forming, joining or leading a trade union. No worker deserves to be harassed, intimidated or assaulted.
The attitude and action taken by these capitalists are expressions of their need to take out the progressive elements in their businesses so as to produce cheap and docile labor that will follow without question their
every command. They intend to amass superprofits at the expense of the workers. The intensity and frequency by which these cases of oppression and suppression happen only show how the capitalists in Turkey aim to salvage the dwindling profits that they are gaining due to the global economic crisis. They exploit various schemes to stop workers from practicing their rights to organize, engage in collective bargaining agreement, receive wages on time, and work in a good and conducive environment.
What the progressive workers in DESA, Group Suni Leather and Yeşil Kundura is right and just. Your resistance to these attacks on your rights is a show of your will to stand by the rights and dignity of workers who continue to be exploited just for the benefit of salvaging profit and capitalism. All the migrant workers are one with you as we too experience similar forms of exploitation and abuse and we feel the strong bond between migrant and local workers as we struggle for justice, peace and genuine social change in our respective countries and around the world in general.
The IMA will call on all its member organizations and affiliates to express solidarity and support you in your struggles.
Uphold the rights and dignity of workers!
Stop exploitation and abuse in the workplace!
Long live international solidarity!
Eni Lestari
chairperson February 15, 2011
Founded in June 2008, the International Migrants Alliance is an international alliance of 112 grassroots migrant organizations and institutions working for migrant workers.
c/o Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants, Ground Floor, No. 2 Jordan Road, Kowloon, HK SAR
Tel No (852) 27237536 Fax No. (852) 27354559 Email: ima.june2008@gmail.com
Website: http://internationalmigrants.org
