TEKEL workers are writing history
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The TEKEL workers have continued to resist in the name of the whole working class. If the resistance ends with victory, this will make the class movement achieve strength in terms of mood to struggle and force. However, the victory at TEKEL is only possible when it will go beyond the TEKEL workers and find social support on a broad and practical/ action-related basis.

 

01 March/ International Bulletin/ Issue: 91  

The historical resistance of the TEKEL workers who as the result of privatisation of TEKEL had to work under unsafe and slavery conditions has continued. This resistance has paved the way for the working class' movement, and it has experienced a critical period.
The resistance at TEKEL was developed against the slavery law 4-C. According to the article 4-C of the Law for State Officials No. 657 that talks about "temporary employees who due to privatisation are transferred to other enterprises and firms", an important group of the TEKEL workers are wanted to be taken over as "temporary contract workers". Following this, the workers won't receive any termination pay, are not allowed to become members of a union and are only employed for a certain period between 4 and 10 months.
The TEKEL workers' resistance has left behind more than 70 days. The union reformist leadership continues to be the weakest part of the TEKEL resistance. The determination of the TEKEL workers against the union reformism and the protests and demands that left Turk-IS bureaucracy in a quite difficult situation avoid this danger until a certain point, but reformism's efforts to reconciliate still continue.
Due to the strong oppression and the determination of the TEKEL workers the yellow unions, including first of all Turk-Is , had to announce general strike for February 4. However, the unions didn't care about organising this general strike and bereaved the workers of the social support which would mark a watershed in finishing the TEKEL strike with success. Society's reaction that could have been displayed with a general strike and general resistance was supposed to mark the main force that could have broken the government's insistence. Although this situation has partly caused bad mood in terms of the TEKEL resistance, TEKEL workers applied pressure on the government and union bureaucracy with every means from hunger strike to the occupation of the stage, and they will continue with their resistance. TEKEL workers have become the spokesman of all workers, labourers and oppressed against the AKP government's neoliberal politics and economical crisis. They won the support of a broad social basis.
Besides, the collaboration between the union bureaucracy and the government also put high pressure on the TEKEL resistance. The announcement of the decision by the state council on March 1 was very important for the TEKEL workers who have been resisting for some months on the basis of their self-confidence. The TEKEL workers' contract was revoked on January 31. With its decision on February 4, 2010 the council of ministers foresaw that the temporary staff, among them TEKEL workers, too, has 30 days to apply to the respective for working under art. 4-C. The decision aimed at making the TEKEL workers dither and put pressure on them to sign the application for art. 4-C. According to this decision the application period ended on March 2. Concerning this implication, the union Tek Gida-Is abandoned the workers to their fate. The union said to the workers: "It's your decision" instead of calling on the workers nit to sign and define a new struggle line. The TEKEL workers had applied at the state council to cancel the decision. On March 1, the state council decided to temporarily stop the enforcement. The final decision, however, will be taken after the government's defence at this point. The decision was important for the workers in terms of their mood, and crucial to make them collect new power for the resistance. It indeed played the role of strengthening the indetermination and bad mood as the application period for 4-C was coming closer and closer and time was almost run out to make use of the advantages. While the delay of the application period of 4-C made the workers, who were put pressure on accepting the imposition and signing it, gather new power to continue with the struggle, it also made the social basis win some time to expand so that the level of the resistance achieved so far could be exceeded and the government that didn't want to make a step backwards could be put pressure on.
The state council's decision is at the same time a kind of half-victory for the TEKEL resistance on the way to success. The decision in favour of the workers during the juridical period is undoubtedly a immediate result of the resistance on the street.
The struggle of the revolutionary and labour forces to strengthen the social support to the TEKEL workers has also continued. Besides Turkey and Northern Kurdistan the resistance was also defended in different European cities. Delegates from Europe came to visit the TEKEL workers, and the support continues with actions and hunger strikes in solidarity with TEKEL workers.
The TEKEL workers have continued to resist in the name of the whole working class. If the resistance ends with victory, this will make the class movement achieve strength in terms of mood to struggle and force. However, the victory at TEKEL is only possible when it will go beyond the TEKEL workers and find social support on a broad and practical/ action-related basis. And this makes the revolutionary and progressive forces intervention to the question inevitable.
 

 

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TEKEL workers are writing history
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The TEKEL workers have continued to resist in the name of the whole working class. If the resistance ends with victory, this will make the class movement achieve strength in terms of mood to struggle and force. However, the victory at TEKEL is only possible when it will go beyond the TEKEL workers and find social support on a broad and practical/ action-related basis.

 

01 March/ International Bulletin/ Issue: 91  

The historical resistance of the TEKEL workers who as the result of privatisation of TEKEL had to work under unsafe and slavery conditions has continued. This resistance has paved the way for the working class' movement, and it has experienced a critical period.
The resistance at TEKEL was developed against the slavery law 4-C. According to the article 4-C of the Law for State Officials No. 657 that talks about "temporary employees who due to privatisation are transferred to other enterprises and firms", an important group of the TEKEL workers are wanted to be taken over as "temporary contract workers". Following this, the workers won't receive any termination pay, are not allowed to become members of a union and are only employed for a certain period between 4 and 10 months.
The TEKEL workers' resistance has left behind more than 70 days. The union reformist leadership continues to be the weakest part of the TEKEL resistance. The determination of the TEKEL workers against the union reformism and the protests and demands that left Turk-IS bureaucracy in a quite difficult situation avoid this danger until a certain point, but reformism's efforts to reconciliate still continue.
Due to the strong oppression and the determination of the TEKEL workers the yellow unions, including first of all Turk-Is , had to announce general strike for February 4. However, the unions didn't care about organising this general strike and bereaved the workers of the social support which would mark a watershed in finishing the TEKEL strike with success. Society's reaction that could have been displayed with a general strike and general resistance was supposed to mark the main force that could have broken the government's insistence. Although this situation has partly caused bad mood in terms of the TEKEL resistance, TEKEL workers applied pressure on the government and union bureaucracy with every means from hunger strike to the occupation of the stage, and they will continue with their resistance. TEKEL workers have become the spokesman of all workers, labourers and oppressed against the AKP government's neoliberal politics and economical crisis. They won the support of a broad social basis.
Besides, the collaboration between the union bureaucracy and the government also put high pressure on the TEKEL resistance. The announcement of the decision by the state council on March 1 was very important for the TEKEL workers who have been resisting for some months on the basis of their self-confidence. The TEKEL workers' contract was revoked on January 31. With its decision on February 4, 2010 the council of ministers foresaw that the temporary staff, among them TEKEL workers, too, has 30 days to apply to the respective for working under art. 4-C. The decision aimed at making the TEKEL workers dither and put pressure on them to sign the application for art. 4-C. According to this decision the application period ended on March 2. Concerning this implication, the union Tek Gida-Is abandoned the workers to their fate. The union said to the workers: "It's your decision" instead of calling on the workers nit to sign and define a new struggle line. The TEKEL workers had applied at the state council to cancel the decision. On March 1, the state council decided to temporarily stop the enforcement. The final decision, however, will be taken after the government's defence at this point. The decision was important for the workers in terms of their mood, and crucial to make them collect new power for the resistance. It indeed played the role of strengthening the indetermination and bad mood as the application period for 4-C was coming closer and closer and time was almost run out to make use of the advantages. While the delay of the application period of 4-C made the workers, who were put pressure on accepting the imposition and signing it, gather new power to continue with the struggle, it also made the social basis win some time to expand so that the level of the resistance achieved so far could be exceeded and the government that didn't want to make a step backwards could be put pressure on.
The state council's decision is at the same time a kind of half-victory for the TEKEL resistance on the way to success. The decision in favour of the workers during the juridical period is undoubtedly a immediate result of the resistance on the street.
The struggle of the revolutionary and labour forces to strengthen the social support to the TEKEL workers has also continued. Besides Turkey and Northern Kurdistan the resistance was also defended in different European cities. Delegates from Europe came to visit the TEKEL workers, and the support continues with actions and hunger strikes in solidarity with TEKEL workers.
The TEKEL workers have continued to resist in the name of the whole working class. If the resistance ends with victory, this will make the class movement achieve strength in terms of mood to struggle and force. However, the victory at TEKEL is only possible when it will go beyond the TEKEL workers and find social support on a broad and practical/ action-related basis. And this makes the revolutionary and progressive forces intervention to the question inevitable.