In the intention letter given by AKP (Justice and Development Party) government to the IMF in July 2004, it was emphasized that they will make reforms on the spheres of pensions and health insurance, and the liabilities of the State will be reduced to the level of 1% of the Gross National Product until the year of 2007. The AKP government, which brought on to the agenda the General Health Insurance (GSS) draft law that was prepared by the "support" of the World Bank in September 2005, attacks to the workers' and labourers' "right of healthy living".

What Brings the Draft Law?

The draft, which considers people as the customers but not as patients, is forcing an unhealthy life to the people who have got no money. It brings the condition of payment of 12.5% bonus from the wages in order to benefit from the health services and, because the amount of the bonus is being calculated according to the minimum wages, the poor peoples' right of health is putted into bin. If you are not paying the bonus then you cannot benefit from the system. But if you have chronic illness or illness with expensive treatment then you cannot benefit form the system either. By the draft, the working conditions of the health personnel are also changing. While subcontractor firms are being allowed to enter into the health sector, the conditions of work with agreements are creating an insecure job upon the personnel. The health workers are forced to make choice between ethics and profit. In connection with the IMF demands, the State is leaving the peoples health to the ambition of the employers for profit and the mercy of capital. But the workers and labourers will not accept this "draft of unhealthy living".

General Strike against the GSS

The draft is replied by the protests of the workers and labourers almost everyday since it has come on to the agenda. On 18-19 February, the Labour Platform organised actions and demos in many cities against the GSS which is being protested in neighbourhoods, factories, hospitals, bus stops, central areas by distributing leaflets, petitions, surveys, press conferences, demos, rallies, CD shows, putting up banners and etc.

The increase of class solidarity by participation of the workers from the resisting Rozi Paper Factory, World Leather, Cevahir Leather Factories and Serna Seral Textile Factories into the fight against GSS, and the action organised by the Textile-Union and Workers League, which opened a banner writing "No to privatisation in Health and Tekel", on 5 February in front of the AKP building in Istanbul-Bahcelievler have represented the good examples of class solidarity.

Together with trade unions and bars, the ESP , Workers' League and the Textile-Union also take part actively in the struggle against the GSS.

While the AKP government has announced that it will bring the draft to the parliament in the beginning of March, the workers and labourers have said that they will continue to struggle until the draft is withdrawn.

Ongoing Resistance in Tekel!

Many Tekel workers in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, at first, the workers in the factory affected, are resisting against the government's decision to close down the Tekel factories in Adana and Malatya. The resistance, which is continuing with many actions, occupation of factories and press conferences, has made the government to take a step backward. The Tekel workers were the winner of the first round.

Following the Tekel resistance that lasted 44 days, Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister, announced they will not close down the Tekel factories in Adana and Malatya. But this is a tactic implemented frequently in recent period by the government, first they withdraw the draft, but when the struggle gets eased, they again bring it to the agenda. Now they are playing the game in Tekel. Erdogan, who made a step backward due to the insistent struggle of the Tekel workers and other class brothers/sisters of theirs, later said "we are going to release ourselves from these enterprises by giving them to the private sector". Although the Tekel workers have frustrated the closing down threat for now, they must continue with their struggle against privatisation without any negligence.