30 November 2020 06:39
Ercüment Akdeniz who is elected as the chair of the Labour Party of Turkey (EMEP) at the 9th Congress calls on all workers and labourers to fight together.
Photograph: Özcan Yaman/Evrensel
Şerif KARATAŞ
The Labour Party of Turkey(EMEP) held its 9th Congress with the slogan "Unity, solidarity, struggle against exploitation, epidemic and war". Turkey is faced with aggravating conditions of the economic crisis as well as political crises. What will EMEP do in a process where the tensions in domestic and foreign politics will be billed even more so to the labourers? What do the calls for unity of the wider public against a one-man alliance mean? What kind of a road map does the Party have in these days when the epidemic and crisis conditions are getting worse?
We directed these questions to Ercüment Akdeniz, who is elected as EMEP's new chair...
The public knew you with your books and writings on the refugees. How did the process that brought you to the chairmanship in the 9th Congress of EMEP develop?
The news, researches and books that I wrote, as well as, field studies about refugees aroused interest in academia, immigrant associations and trade unions. And we were feeding each other in mutual solidarity. Of course, after taking over the presidency of EMEP, it was met with both a joy and questions such as: "We are very happy, but what about the reporting on refugees?". There was also such an anxiety. In any case, while reporting on refugees in Evrensel newspaper, the source was EMEP. News would often be sourced through the organizing and educational work conducted by EMEP in the workplaces in the industrial districts where Syrian and Turkish workers worked side by side. The reporters of our newspaper would often come together with them. They brought me together with them too. I'm a party member after all. I have never been outside the party. We were working on a project during the 9th Conference and Congress process, we talked about how we could draw a route in discussions and concluded it during the conference process.
At the congress, you stated that the broad masses of people are not without options against the attempts to be squeezed between the existing two alliances and expressed the idea of a democratic people's power. Can you open this up?
The political formations in Turkey has taken the shape of two blocs especially after the transition to the presidential government system. One of these blocs is the Presidential Alliance consisting of the ruling AKP and the nationalist MHP, and the other is the National Alliance of the main opposition party (social democratic) CHP with the (nationalist) Good Party, etc. As if there is no third focus, there is an atmosphere of political choice and formation that forces working people to choose between the two. We reject this because both alliances have an understanding that obeys the programme of the monopoly capital and try to find answers to their needs and demands. This approach does not have a chance to offer a future for the workers, labourers and the people in Turkey.
Hence what is urgent in Turkey is to build a joint struggle and alliance based on the immediate demands of the workers and labourers, and dissociated from the programme of capital. We call this the alternative third focal point. There is a weakness here. This is not only about economic and class problems, but also about democracy.
There should be such a union in issues regarding foreign policy, the Kurdish question, the Middle East and other issues. In the past years, issues such as the peace problem, the attacks of the government in the economic field, the Palestinian question, the Middle East problem, February 28 (the 1997 military memorandum, the so-called "post-modern coup") triggered action to take a stand, where EMEP, HDP, LEFT Party, Halkevleri and professional organizations came together and set up a platform. They used to organize rallies and campaigns, and when the elections came, they considered entering the election as a bloc. At present, there is a problem here and this needs to change. For this, we need a new focal power, organized at central and local levels, which would bring together the broadest sections of society, i.e. labour and democracy forces, political parties, professional organizations, trade unions, regional associations, etc.
If you do not have an effort and formation in this direction, you will be treated as the reserve power of this or that alliance. This pacifies the working class, labourers and people.
While there are talks of "reform" in the judiciary, workers who seek their rights are prevented. When those who oppose the destruction of nature and women come to the field for their demands, there is a constant state of obstruction and oppression…
(...) The existing political power and the capital it moves with sees the dynamics of the social explosion. It tries to crush it from the very beginning so that it does not spontaneously turn into a larger social struggle. This cannot be kept under pressure for a long time. However, it can be done violently. It can be done by increasing state violence. This is what is done today.
There was a call from the United Metal Workers' Union. We went to (the industrial district of) Gebze. Metal workers decided to march to Ankara (the capital city). The reasons for their march are as follows: Necessary measures are not taken against coronavirus in factories; workers are forced to work; they are exhausted. When they join the union they are sacked. A police barricade was set up in front of the union and its members who wanted to march.
So, whose state is this? Whose government is this? Let alone the most basic demands of the workers, the demand for bread, the workers' voice for safety and job security is being suppressed, and this means we are faced with an enormous political power interconnected with capital. All this happened during the reform discussions. On the surface, words of reform with gold scales fly around and Erdogan and the AKP spokespersons have begun to repeat this. But below, we see as much violence and persecution against the workers. Then no one should be fooled. These reforms are not for the working people, on the contrary, they are designed to attract international capital to Turkey, making improvements to pave their way, giving international and domestic capital assurances especially in terms of property rights and other issues.
You have an important decision regarding refugees. It is the 10th anniversary of the Syrian civil war next year. You will run a campaign on this occasion. What will you express in this campaign, as well as, the situation of Syrian refugees in Turkey?
Unlike other parties, the Labour Part of Turkey (EMEP) is a party that defends the international unity, brotherhood and struggle of the working class. We defend the unity of the migrant/refugee workers, what is referred to as "foreign’, with the indigenous workers. This is workers' internationalism. Thus EMEP stands in an exceptional place as the revolutionary party of the working class.
It has been 10 years since the Syrian war started. We have a population of 83 million, 5 million of which are refugees and migrants. This requires organizing the common struggle of all workers and labourers against capital, regardless of their origin. We will stress this point as much as possible. Our 9th Congress especially emphasized this. What was the reason for this war in the 10th year of the Syrian immigration, who was involved in it? What have the results been? From the political aspect, the Syrian war and its impact on Turkey are to be discussed. We will organize a campaign, especially to discuss the situation of the refugees and migrants in Turkey as part of it. (...)
By forming the Migration and Refugees Bureau affiliated to our party headquarters, we will try to follow the process better and keep it on the agenda.
At a time when the economic crisis, which is getting worse with the pandemic, the 2021 budget is being discussed in the parliament. We are in the period when the minimum wage will be determined. What is your assessment of both the budget and the minimum wage? What attitude should workers and labourers take?
What do we see when we look at the budget currently discussed in the Parliament? There is no limit to the resources allocated to the religious communities. There are disguised allowances. There is an enormous budget allocated to militarism, armament and war policies, especially under the name of security. There are no steps regarding social policies and support for workers. Therefore, this budget is not a budget that represents the working sectors, the people and is not in their interest.
(...) Our call is this: A minimum wage to live humanely. Today the minimum wage in Turkey is 2,324 lira (302 dollars). While the hunger line is discussed in the 3-4 thousand lira band, we refuse for millions of people to live below the hunger line. At least, a minimum wage debate approaching the poverty line should come up. We are working on this. If the unions stay below the bar and this discussion, they will go to the bottom in the eyes of the working people.
There is an important struggle of women against oppression and violence. What would you like to say in this context?
Women experience the despotic repressive regimes and the problematic economic situation in Turkey in the most layered, multi-dimensional manner. Because they are left with the responsibility of the kitchen and looking after the children. They are the ones who have many problems in the factory compared to the male workers. One of the most important questions is violence against women and femicide, the numbers of which are at dire levels in Turkey. We rank first in Europe. Therefore, women's organization is a very important need. Turkey's democratization, women's organizations to come to a certain point and the emancipation of the working class is very important. Our party has worked hard in this direction and continues to do so. (...)