Call for a general strike by Revolutionary Union Solidarity
‘The general strike is no longer a matter of discussion, it is a call for an action,’ the Turkey Executive of the Revolutionary Union Solidarity stated in its call for a general strike.
Revolutionary Union Solidarity Turkey Executive called for a general strike.
‘The general strike is no longer a matter of discussion; it is a call for an action. AKP and the capitalist system do not want the working class to organise, the youth to speak out, the vocational chambers to resist. This system thrives on labourers, we are the ones who provide production and services!’
In the call, it was pointed out that unions cannot be sufficient with a struggle that is stuck only in union contracts. ‘Today, all confederations, especially KESK (Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions), bar associations, TMMOB (Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects), TTB (Turkish Medical Association) must act with a historic responsibility. Today's crisis is not only an economic crisis, but also a stage of political collapse.’
‘ORGANISING PASSIVE PROTESTS IS NOT ENOUGH’
The full text of the call for a general strike is as follows:
“Turkey is going through one of the biggest economic and political crises in its history. The one-man regime, with its pro-capitalist policies, dooms the working class, labourers, youth and all segments of the people to hunger, poverty and oppression. The struggle against this order of exploitation, which affects every aspect of life, must now be organised not only through partial actions, but through a total resistance. General strike and general resistance is a necessity that can no longer be postponed!
A general strike is not only a means by which workers negotiate for wages. The general strike is the greatest form of struggle in which the working class demonstrates its collective power against the capitalist order by stopping life. In the decisive moments of revolutionary struggles in the world and in Turkey, general strikes have been the greatest weapon against the power of the ruling class. Historical examples such as the 15-16 June 1970 Great Workers‘ Resistance and the 1991 Zonguldak Miners’ Strike show the power of the collective action of the working class.
Today, the situation is even more severe. Inflation, poverty, repressive policies and unlawful judicial decisions have targeted every segment of the people. The one-man regime protects the interests of the capitalist class by controlling not only the election system but also the economic system, and subjects workers to harsh conditions of exploitation. The threat of Ekrem İmamoğlu's arrest, attacks on freedom of the press, suppression of trade union organisation, attempts to silence the youth... It is not enough just to make statements and organise passive protests against all these attacks. A general strike to be organised in all workplaces, neighbourhoods, schools and city squares will be the biggest answer to strike the system!
‘AKP HAS TARGETED NOT ONLY THE WORKERS BUT THE WHOLE NATION’
Today the workers' movement is at a historical turning point. Separate resistances, local workers' struggles and restricted protests are insufficient to overcome the mechanism of oppression set up by this government. In the face of this, a united labour movement must be created and the working class, civil servants, academics, engineers, doctors, lawyers and all vocational organisations must unite in a common line of resistance.
The AKP's anti-labour policies implemented for years have targeted not only workers' rights but also the social and economic security of the entire population. The expansion of the subcontractor system, the targeting of severance pay, the erosion of the minimum wage in real terms, strike bans and the oppression of trade union organisations are just some examples of this attack. A system that sentences labourers to starvation for the interests of capital and completely abolishes the concept of the social state has been built.
What needs to be done today is to meet these attacks not with individual and sector-based struggles, but with a common class struggle. Workers' resistance, the organised power of vocational chambers, mass movements and youth struggles can unite on a common ground and undermine the system. Therefore, a united labour movement must be a tool not only for trade union demands but also for social transformation.
‘MUST ACT WITH HISTORICAL RESPONSIBILITY’
Today, all confederations, especially KESK, bar associations, TMMOB, TTB must act with a historical responsibility. Today's crisis is not only an economic crisis, but also a process of political destruction. Trade union movements cannot be limited to a struggle confined to union contracts!
As Revolutionary Union Solidarity has previously emphasised, bureaucratic unionism must be overcome and a general strike process in which workers and labourers directly decide must be built through grassroots organisations. The stance of the trade union leaders, which slows down the process and dampens the struggle, must be abandoned. The general strike and general resistance must be implemented not only with the declarations of the trade union administrations, but with a will rising from the workplaces, factories, neighbourhoods and universities.
‘GENERAL STRIKE IS NOT A MATTER OF DISCUSSION, IT IS A CALL FOR AN ACTION’
The general strike is not only the struggle of unionised workers, but of all the oppressed. Today, lawyers, doctors, engineers, academics, civil servants, women's movements, youth movements and those who struggle for environment must also be part of this strike.
Today, every structure that does not mobilise by saying ‘General Strike, General Resistance’ is responsible before history. The yellow unions, the structures that keep the struggle in a reformist line, the understanding that squeezes workers only in collective agreements must be overcome! If life stops, the system stops!
The general strike is no longer a matter of discussion, but a call for an action. AKP and the capitalist order do not want the working class to organise, the youth to speak out, the vocational chambers to resist. This order rises on the backs of labourers, we provide production and services!
Therefore, when we stop, this system will stop! We call on all trade unions, vocational chambers, youth and mass organisations:
Declare a general strike! Stop life! Organise, unite, resist! General Strike, General Resistance!”
