Istanbul has been added to the list of May Day bans, under the pretext of pandemic. All functions and activities in the larger İstanbul area were banned until May 17.
In a directive the Office of Istanbul Governor issued, it conveyed the decision of “restricted closure” that, meeting on April 15, the Provincial Health Council General adopted in the direction of the decisions taken in the Presidential Cabinet and the directive published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs on April 14.
In recent days, the Offices of Kocaeli, Aydin, and Denizli Governors have also announced the bans in a way to include May Day.
Chairman of Gida-Is, Aslan: The best response to May Day bans is to put a stop to productio
Making comments related to the May Day bans announced one after another, Chairman of DISK/Gida-Is, Seyit Aslan said that the best response to May Day bans was to stop the production.
In his announcement related to the May Day bans that were announced one after another, Chair of DİSK/Gida-Is said “May Day may not be banned, we have not forgotten the packed congress meetings”. Aslan emphasized that the best reply against the May Day bans of the government is to use the power originating from the production.
Making announcement in social media, Aslan shared the following each of which had posters about May Day:
“Just days before May Day, bans follow one after another. While the Office of Kocaeli Governor and Gebze Municipal Governor rejected May Day celebration applications, the Office of Denizli Governor and Kartal Municipal Governor banned the distribution of posters and leaflets until May 17. We have not forgotten the packed congress meetings, May Day may not be banned.
The response the working class and labour organizations are to give against the May Day bans is the use of the force from the production. It is to stop the production and to cry the demands in every factory, every enterprise no matter when and for how long.
The action for the working class to take against the wild herd immunity imposed on working class, against workplace homicide, unemployment, poverty, corruption, violence against and murder of women, plundering of nature, discrimination, oppression of and suppressing the rights is, joining together, to stop the production.”
Trade Unions and professional organizations announced their May Day programs: Every day everywhere is May Day
Confederation of Trade Unions of Revolutionary Workers (DISK), Confederation of Trade Unions of Public Workers (KESK), Union of Associations of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), Union of Turkish Doctors announced their May Day programs, in the press meeting they organized. Reacting to the bans, the confederations and professional organizations said “We will say ‘for a healthy, secured and humanly life, every day is May Day,’ and we will voice our demands in the work places and in the squares.”
DISK Chair, Arzu Cerkezoglu; KESK Joint Chair, Mehmet Bozgeyik; TTB Central Council Chair, Sebnem Korur Fincanci; and TMMOB Member of Executive Board, Tores Dincoz joined the meeting organized at Karakoy, Chamber of Architects Buyukkent Branch.
Speaking on behalf of the confederations and professional organizations, DISK Chair Arzu Cerkezoglu drew attention to the problems workers had gone through during the pandemic.
Emphasizing that Turkey has been the second in order of those providing for their citizens the least amount of financial support, Cerkezoglu said “Unemployment is breaking records every day. We are being laid off per Code 29, without any severance compensation. Millions of workers and their families are forced to live on 50 lira a day with unpaid leave. Millions are pushed to hunger by food inflation. Utility bills are creasing; shopping costs more every day than that in the previous day. With flexible working such as remote working, work insecurity is becoming wide-spread. Even under this pandemic conditions, all the resources of the country are given away to a handful of companies. On one side, hunger and poverty, and unemployment, on the other side, wealth is accumulating. In Economic crisis and pandemic conditions, we are faced with injustice with its ugliest face.”
Noting that their celebration event applications for April 30 and May 1 have been rejected, Cerkezoglu said “For the pandemic, those who have not taken precautions science required, those rejecting to stop the work for non-essential services for 28 days, those even themselves violating the limited precautions that they put in, those creating public health issues with their packed congress meetings, they bring up the pandemic for the May Day bans. Some governors discover ‘mutated’ viruses on May Day posters hanged on our buildings and throughout the cities.”
Stating that they will celebrate May Day of 2021 despite all the bans, Cerkezoglu said “We will shout ‘for a healthy, secured and humanly life, every day is May Day,’ and we will voice our demands throughout the week of May Day. We will say ‘Every place is May Day’, and be in front of work places and squares in the widest possible manner. We will meet on April 30, at Kazanci hill in Taksim for the memorial action as we have held every year. We will remember those lives we lost in the murder of May Day of 1977, we will plan all our memorial events consistent with the pandemic conditions. On the same day, throughout the country, –again consistent with pandemic conditions– in the widest manner, in work places we will hold May Day celebrations and we will carry out our press announcement. On May Day too, we will call on those workers in their workplaces, and those at home, in their balconies, streets, social media to grow the joy of May Day in various ways.”
The Labour Party of Turkey (EMEP) Chair Ercument Akdeniz: "There is no fine for those making workers work side by side, but there is plenty issued in light speed to those distributing leaflets"
Drawing attention to the double standards, Akdeniz said “Fines are even issued to those feeding with food in garbage, but there is no enforcement for their own actions. Busses and trains are always full, workers work in factories side by side... There is no fine to those making workers work in that way. However, if/when three people gather to distribute leaflets, hang posters, then the plenty of fines come on to them in light speed. Our members were also fined for distributing leaflets and hanging posters in the course of May Day. Today too, the municipal workers at Bakirkoy Municipality wanting to do May Day announcement in Bakirkoy Square were prevented from doing so in the same manner.”
Stating that they have demonstrated that the law exists only for the government, Akdeniz said “In this country, it is free to die, but is banned to oppose. In that funeral [the religious sect leader’s funeral that thousands attended packed side by side], all those attended are now in danger because they were so packed together. This poses a serious problem for public health, too.”
Reminding the attempts to ban May Day functions, EMEP Chair said “On May Day, people want to use their right to oppose, voice their demands. Dare them open up May Day Squares, not prevent, and see how workers maintain physical distancing. Workers demonstrate best how to conduct mass protests. Let it be a lesson for them,” and added:
“Besides, There are testimonies of TTB and TTB specialists about that. If the rules are paid attention to, there will be no problem in outdoor protests. But not in such packed congress meetings and funeral ceremonies.”
Ercument Akdeniz, in the press announcement he held yesterday, had said “If machines are turning in factories, celebrating May Day is a right! We do not accept the attempt to ban the May Day meetings. In the context of Labour week, we announce that May Day celebrations will be carried out.” (EVRENSEL DAILY)
Yusuf Karadaş
Aydin Çubukçu
Fatih Polat