Turkish unions are making it clear that they will move ahead with peaceful celebrations on the first of May, despite a government prohibition of events in Istanbul’s most iconic square.
The Confederation of Public Workers (KESK), of which the EI-affiliated teachers’ union Egitim Sen is a member, and the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey (D?SK) have announced their intention to peacefully demonstrate in Taksim Square, Istanbul, this Thursday to celebrate May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day.
However, the government of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has announced a ban of the event for “security reasons,” which follows a decades-long government decision forbidding May Day celebrations in Taksim. Previous attempts to meet there have been met by force, resulting in police violence and arrests, peaking in 2013 when hundreds were injured.
Turkish unionists will also commemorate the events of 1977 when a half million person demonstration in the square on May Day ended with 37 killed by gunfire - a crime for which no-one has ever been prosecuted.
An international campaign has been launched in collaboration with LabourStart to get the ban reversed. Turkish unions are also calling for trade union freedom, democracy, an end to precarious working and better working conditions.
Education International encourages its affiliates to support the Turkish workers and to add their name to the campaignt: http://www.labourstart.org/go/taksim.