[fse-esf] Historic strike in the Tuzla dockyards against work homicides

[Alp Altinors]

Very important news from Istanbul-Turkey. Please circulate.
ALP ALTINORS-newspaper "ATILIM"
www.atilim.org

	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	

Historic strike in the Tuzla dockyards against work homicides
ENGLISH (27.02.2008) Thousands of dockyard workers went to strike
today, despite heavy police repression. The strike, called by
DISK/Limter-Is union, comes after 18 deaths of workers in 8 months.
The incidents -called as 'work accidents' by the bosses and 'work
homicides' by the labor union- created a wave of anger among the
dockyard workers.



Tuzla: Symbol of capitalist
exploitation
Tuzla dockyards, the heart of Turkey's shipmaking business, was
paralysed by the de-facto worker strike today. This had been a
historic success of the working class; since it is the first strike
done in a largely fragmented, sub-contracted region.
Tuzla dockyards are a symbol of capitalist barbarism; where great
portion of the workers are unregistered, many workers die because of
so-called 'work accidents' and exploitation has no legal limits. Even
the death of many workers remains unregistered, since the bosses pay
'blood money' to the poor and desperate worker families to silence
them. Thus, many of their crimes remains secret.



Union leaders tortured and arrested
The tension grew in the dockyards region, since last August. 18
workers had died (or, better to say, 'killed', since these deaths are
inevitable results of the barbaric working conditions) in 8 months.
Especially after the global financial crisis which began in January,
worker deaths increased dramatically. Each day new workers were
wounded or died.




Limter-Is union called for a “de-facto strike” in the region
for the 27th and 28th of February, to stop
these work homicides and to show the workers' strength to the bosses.
The strike was to begin at 6 o'clock in the morning and to last for
48 hours.




The state exposed its' enmity to the workers and its' engagement
to the ruthless capitalists by attacking the workers in the deluge
hours. The brutal police attack came while the Limter-Is union
leaders cut off the main road leading to the dockyards to call for
the workers not to work today.



Totally 75 workers and unionists were arrested, heavily
beaten and tortured by the police. The detained included the
President of the Limter Is union Cem Dinc, its' General
Secretary Kamber Saygili and its' Vice-President Hakki
Demiral. Many other unionists from different unions who came for
solidarity was also arrested.



Worker resistance overcomes
But the spark could not be distinguished. 500 workers gathered in
the Aydintepe train station and began marching the strike place. The
number grew rapidly and finally, in the noon time there was around 5
thousand workers who left their jobs to join the strike.



The work in the yard was stopped by around %60 participation to
the strike. The dockyards could not fulfill their contracts to hand
over the ships. The workers demanded the immediate release of their
union leaders and friends, and in the afternoon, around 4 o'clock,
the 75 detanees were released from the police station.



The Labor Minister of the neoliberal AKP government, Faruk Celik
attacked the workers publicly, stating that “There is no meaning of
these actions, while the Ministry had already began inspections and
controls in the region.” Labor unions and proggressive institutions
condemned this statement, claiming that “control and inspection
will not solve the problem, but it is a tool to create illusion. The
only way to stop the work homicides is labor union organization in
the dockyards.”



Call for international solidarity
The Ministry had always collaborated with the dockyard bosses,
saying that it is a very important sector for Turkey's exports. They
had closed their eyes to worker deaths, since dockyards provide large
dollar income to the economy. Only after the struggle of the
Limter-Is union, and after the serial-deaths of many workers, the
Ministry was forced to 'partially stop production' in three dockyard
companies.



The Limter-Is union called for “International solidarity and
condemnation of the proimperialist neoliberal AKP government and the
dockyard bosses.” You can send your messages to the e-mail addres
of the Labour Ministry (basin at csgb.gov.tr)
addressed to Mr. Faruk Celik and to the dockyard bosses' organization
GISBIR (gisbir at superonline.com) addressed to Mr. Murat Bayrak. Also
please send one copy of the e-mails to varyos at ttmail.com.



Photos of the day:
http://www.atilim.org/haberler/2008/02/27/Tersanelerde_gozaltilara_ragmen_kitlesel_fiili_grev_fotolari.html

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