The resistance of the Desan-workers at the shipyard of Tuzla is continuing. The bosses, who are afraid that the resistance spreads to the whole shipyard, are attacking the Desan-workers and the trade-union Limter-Is , where they are organised. By the terror of imprisoning, they try to stop Limter-Is, which acts with the perspective of a class trade-union against this brutal attack of the police. On June 11, the president of Limter-Is Cem Dinc and the specialist of education Kamber Saygili were imprisoned claiming that they had resisted against the police. After the imprisonment of the unionists, the Desan-workers started a campaign to defend their union under the slogan: "Freedom for the imprisoned unionists!". Besides the actions at the shipyard like press meeting, road bloques, occupation of the work places and ferryboats they started with a hunger strike. The hunger strike that was started by Limter-Is is being supported by dozens of trade-unions and other organizations. The struggle for the freedom of the unionists grows with the actions in many cities of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan and through the participation of the union Tekstil-Sen , the Socialist Platform of the Oppressed ( ESP ) and the Socialist Youth Association ( SGD ) in the hunger strike.

Dinc and Sygili have also declared that they will participate in the hunger strike started by Limter-Is from June 28 to July 3 in order to protest their unjust imprisonment and to support the hunger strike.

The resistance of Desan exposed the fascist dictatorship. The collaboration between the bosses, the police and the authorities of law become more than clear. In spite of all that, the Desan-workers are continuing to fight for theirs rights together with their class brothers.

The Desan resistance shows the way the working class of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan has to take. It is the internationalist duty of the working classes of other countries to extend the resistance of Desan. Our party is calling upon all the communist, revolutionary and progressive parties and organisations to express their solidarity with their resisting Turkish class brothers and to protest against the Turkish state.

Freedom for the imprisoned unionists!

The Desan-workers are not alone!

Long live international solidarity!

Send your protest letters to:

Minister of Labour and Social Security Murat Basesgioglu, E-Mail: mb@basesgioglu.org

Tel. of the ministry: 0090 312 296 60 00

Minister of the Interior Abdulkadir Aksu, E-Mail: aaksu@icisleri.gov.tr

Prime Minister of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan, E-Mail: bimer@basbakanlik.gov.tr

Send your solidarity messages with the trade-unionists to:

Cem DINC, H Tipi CEZAEVI, KARTAL/ISTANBUL, TÜRKEI

MLCP

Turkey/Northern Kurdistan

International Bureau

30 June 2006

Statement No. 12