The dockyard workers in Europe have waged a united resistance against the neo-liberal attacks on dockyards by the EU, the union of monopolies.
The draft named as "Dockyard Package II" and opens the door for privatisation and outsourcing of dockyards, at the same time, carries the characteristics of being an attack of disorganisation. The flexible work and outsourcing, the placement of temporary work were also going to be a process of narrowing the opportunities for workers to be unionised.
On 11 January, the European dockyard workers have responded this neo-liberal attack of the EU, the union of monopolies, with continental strike. The strike, which was echoed in Germany, Holland, Belgium and Finland, stopped the life in European dockyards.
The police have attacked to the dockyard workers' action organised in front of the European Parliament in the Strasbourg city of France on 17 January, the day when the draft was going to be considered in the European Parliament. But the workers clashed with the police. The dockyards in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Holland, Greece, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark have also responded the draft with resistance on the same date and time. In the face of workers' resistance, the EU imperialists have disapproved the draft by making back step.
The EU's privatisation, outsourcing, disorganisation attacks on dockyards has a historical background. Similar attacks had also come to the agenda in 2003, but the draft was refused due to again the dockyard workers' resistances. An element, which came to clear in the working class struggle during the OPEL workers' recent strike in 7 countries, has once more shown itself in the European proletariat's fight against the privatisation of dockyards.
With the development of the economical and political organization of the capital on the international scale, the international resistance of the workers against the international attacks of the trans-national monopolies and the capitalist unions such as EU is an aspect which has the ability to develop and which has to be developed in the class struggle.
The risk of being limited with dockyards is a weakness of the dockyard workers' resistance. The European bourgeoisie is implementing neo-liberal attacks against the workers working in various sectors of each country through governments and of European wide through European Union. The major monopolies', which have got production units in many places of Europe and the world, attack of redundancy, closure of factories and etc. in single or more than one countries now happen frequently. The EU countries are bringing one after another into the agenda the attacks on the social, political and economic rights of the working class. In such conditions, the limitation of worker resistances with sectors or production units drops the chance of success.
As it is shown by the actions of automobile sector and, recently, by the dockyard workers, it is now an obligation for working class to get organised on regional and international sphere on the basis of trade unionism or politically. In the fight against the bourgeoisies' attacks, the working class is face to face with a task to overcome "national" borders and to struggle against capital through its international organisation.
The workers' actions continue in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan
In Adana, the TEKEL workers are following the footsteps of SEKA. Following their unsuccessful privatisation attempt, the government have decided to close down TEKEL. But the workers are saying "We will die but not withdraw". On 4 January, the Malatya TEKEL workers have organised an action of blocking the roads in order to support Adana TEKEL workers, who locked themselves in the factory, and to protest the closure of TEKEL (Tobacco and alcohol sector).
Against the decision of closure by the government, Adana TEKEL workers have occupied the factory on the 2nd of January. Malatya TEKEL workers, facing the same situation, have also occupied their factories on 19 January. The actions of TEKEL workers responded with solidarity actions of other TEKEL workers in Bursa, Istanbul and many other cities of Turkey and Kurdistan. ESP (Socialist Platform of Oppressed) has also called on workers and labourers to support TEKEL workers through its activities of enlightenment and visits of support.
Again the workers have responded with not leaving their factories when the TUPRAS petroleum refineries decided to be sold to the Koc-Shell partnership.
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