Against Capitalist Exploitation and Imperialist War Let’s Grow Our Struggle for the Unity of the World Working Class!

As working people, we are facing tough times. Yet, these are our better days, so to speak. What goes on in Turkey and the world shows that the problems we are driven into keep worsening. The war and genocide waged by Israel in Gaza before the eyes of the whole world, for example, has already left one year behind by 7 October. Israel, backed by Western powers, mainly the US and the UK, bombarded southern Lebanon and the capital Beirut after Palestine, killing thousands more. In response, Iran retaliated by striking Israel. It is no hidden fact that Iran has been a target of the US for many years. Having turned Iraq and Afghanistan into hell and fuelled the war in Syria, Iran is now next on the list for the US. The fact that all these ongoing developments are taking place outside Turkey's borders does not change the fact that Turkey is deeply affected by these developments. Just as in a burning forest, the rising heat, splashing cones and the wind carry the fire to new regions, and the ash and smoke cover the surrounding area, the fire in the Middle East has an impact beyond borders.

Think about the Syrian war that broke out in 2011 and how this war affected political developments and the working people’s lives in Turkey. Following the outbreak of the war, the government in Turkey took part in the war in order to overthrow the Assad regime. Meanwhile, without any integration policy, the government let millions of refugees into the country by simply opening the border gates. As the Kurds began to gain strength in Syria, Turkey’s rulers’ rage and fear grew. The 7 June 2015 election results were declared null and void and Turkey was driven to re-election on 1 November. In the following few months, several bombs exploded all over Turkey. On 10 October, the working people meeting in Ankara to demand peace were massacred. A complete atmosphere of fear and a perception of instability was created in society. A fascist regime was built step by step in Turkey. Under this regime, the foreign policy crisis grew, the country’s economy went over a cliff and repression and tyranny took its toll at home.

Today, we all witness that even the slightest opposition in Turkey is being crushed by repression and that the regime itself is trying to design the opposition. The government organised rallies to condemn Israel, for example. But protesters demanding an end to the war in Gaza, the cessation of trade with Israel and effective sanctions were brutally attacked by the police and were arrested. Journalists who revealed the details of trade with Israel were tried to be silenced. Meanwhile, at the Parliament opening ceremony on 1 October, mutual warm gestures, greetings and friendly messages between the ruling and opposition parties were highlighted. However, the fact that elected MPs, Kurdish politicians and journalists are still imprisoned was ignored.

There are many subjects on the parliament's agenda that directly concern the working class and many plans that mean an attack on the working class. However, legislative regulations that will further intensify the problems of workers, pensioners, youth and women awaiting for a solution are manipulated and presented as a remedy. For example, under the pretext of increasing employment, they want to generalise flexible working hours and precarious working conditions. The Labour Law is planned to be amended to make it more ‘investment-friendly’. Accordingly, severance pay, retirement and job security are intended to be completely destroyed. There is an intention to create an extremely low-cost, ‘disposable’ labour force for the bosses.

Today, capitalists get all kinds of investment support, incentives, cheap loans etc. in order to invest easily and make profits. In most cases, their debts are cancelled, and they are even granted tax exemption. They literally commit legal looting through large build-operate-transfer projects such as bridges, airports and hospitals offered by the government with officially guaranteed revenues for them. They plunder the funds formed by cuts from workers’ wages to the very end. In order not to pay the price for the economic destruction caused by profiteering and looting, they are protected by the government’s shields. They take advantage of the high inflation rates and increase prices of every single need while lying that raising workers’ wages will raise inflation. While they do not sacrifice pomp, luxury and comfort, they ask for further curtailment of workers’ rights under the name of “austerity in the public sector”. When workers take action against these injustices, the state and the government are at the bosses’ service. Workers demanding better wages and union are punished with police and gendarmerie truncheons; politicians, police chiefs, gendarmerie, courts, muftis, and sub-governors become shields for the bosses. But all this is not enough for the bosses, they wish to destroy the rights, most of which are now only on paper, and keep the workers in hunger and slavery.

It is precisely for this reason that constitutional amendment is on the agenda of the Parliament. The constitutional amendment aims to further strengthen and perpetuate the anti-worker tyrannical regime. The government representatives and their servants in the mainstream media tell all kinds of lies in order to distract attention away from the real issues and mislead the working people. They even put on democratic faces and talk about the need for the 12 September Constitution designed by the military junta to be amended. However, all the acts and regulations of the 12 September fascist coup aimed at crushing the struggle of the working class and destroying its rights are being further preserved and extended. The regime, which never fails to serve the capitalist class, acts in ruthless brutality when it comes to the working class.

Working under the instructions of the government, TurkStat (Turkish Statistical Institute), for example, arbitrarily understates the inflation figures that affect the determination of the minimum wage and pay rise in general. TurkStat stopped disclosing the inflation basket and the prices of items in this basket that are used to calculate inflation rate. Even when sued by trade unions, TurkStat refuses to account. Another example: in the 22 years of AKP governments, the state has collected approximately 3 trillion dollars in taxes, and the amount of taxes collected has increased over the years. A large part of these taxes was on working people suffering from low wages and harsh working conditions. Despite this, the government ignores the workers demanding ‘justice in taxes, justice in income’. Rather, they increase the tax burden on workers. The government considers it disrespectful to question where the tax revenues are allocated, the poor quality of public services, and where the earthquake taxes were spent in the aftermath of major earthquakes such as 17 August and 6 February.

The capitalist system is broken to the core. The image of Gaza, Lebanon and Turkey is the image of a broken capitalist system. In all countries of the world, the working class is under the grip of capitalist exploitation and imperialist wars. It is only possible to end exploitation, war, destruction and suffering through the united struggle of the world working class. No matter how difficult it may seem, it is possible to achieve the unity of the working class. The workers taking to the streets and on strike in the UK and the US against the bombings in Gaza are proof that this unity can be achieved. Strengthening unity and solidarity starting from our fellow workers, the workplace we are in, the trade union we are a part of, and growing our unions and political organisation will be steps towards the unity of the world working class.