Dear comrades and friends,
I received this material (together with further info and very impressive
pictures) that I felt should be passed on.
Fraternally,
George
PROTESTS INCREASE AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS IN TURKEY
For further information and the latest developments in Turkey please contact
the Party of Labour (EMEP). E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hundreds of thousands of workers, public employees and small tradesmen have
been staging protests against the ever deteriorating living conditions
caused by the recent economic crisis. The latest protests took place last
Saturday, 14 April 01, with the attendance of 500 thousand people across
Turkey. On 11 April one hundred thousand people demonstrated in Ankara, the
capital city, against the government and the IMF which brought the country
into this situation. Police attacked the demonstrators when they wanted to
march on to Parliament, arresting and injuring dozens of people. Protesters
call the government to resign and chant the slogan "IMF get out, this
country is ours!"
The crisis is rooted in the economic reform programme that was crafted by
the IMF and designed to privatise all public enterprises and implement even
tighter austerity measures. When the government was stuck with the repayment
of the domestic and foreign debts, it abandoned a controlled exchange-rate
policy on Feb. 22, and allowed the lira to float, leading to its devaluation
by 44 per cent against the dollar. Waged people's real income dropped by
almost 50 per cent. Fuel prices were increased five times since the crisis
began. The price of imported medicines has skyrocketed, and some suppliers
are refusing to ship drugs to Turkey because of uncertain exchange rates,
leading to severe shortages. Hundreds of thousands of workers have been made
redundant, bringing the unemployment rate to over 20 per cent.
The three-party coalition government has appointed a "super minister" to
tackle with the crisis. He is trying to get the urgently needed $12 billion
credit from the IMF to give a breathing space to the economy. His programme,
therefore, involves a faster process of privatisation and even greater
burdens on the working people.
In the face of these developments, the Labour Platform, which was set up by
many trade unions, democratic mass organisations, profession organisations
and political parties on the side of the labour movement, has set up its own
alternative Labour Programme which is designed to shift the burden of the
crisis from the working people onto the big capital, and which promotes an
independent Turkey whose economic development is based on its own dynamics
rather than foreign capital and IMF imposed policies. Alongside the
participants of the Labour Platform, many patriotic and pro-labour
academicians contributed to this Programme which came out of an economic
symposium in late March.
THE PARTY OF LABOUR
Tel: +90 212 588 43 32-38 Fax: 588 43 41 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
April 18, 2001
Mass Protests against IMF Policies in Turkey
On 14 April hundreds of thousands of workers and labourers in Turkey
organized protest demonstrations all around the country against the IMF
policies that have led to the economic crises one after another (including
the latest 22 February Crisis) and the collapse in the monetary system.
After two weeks of protests from the tradesmen, four workers and public
employees confederations (Turk-Is, DISK, KESK, HAK-IS) demanded the Labour
Programme to be implemented.
Two Programmes
14 April was also the 42nd day of Kemal Dervis, who has been 'imported' from
the World Bank to manage the economy as a 'Super' Minister. Dervis held a
press conference to make his programme public. This programme included
privatization, cuts in social rights and so-called reforms in the banking
system. However, the Labour Programme that was prepared by dozens of
academicians and trade union leaders demands an independent economy (you
will find a copy in the attachment). So Saturday's demonstrations were also
an alternative declaration against Dervis's IMF crafted programme.
In the largest city, Istanbul, 50 thousand workers and labourers gathered.
In Izmir, 40 thousand. Demonstrations were banned in the capital city Ankara
and in 19 other cities. Yet, despite the prohibition and the bad weather,
1000 people gathered in Ankara. Also in other "banned" provinces labourers
refused to obey the ban and were still out on the streets to protest.
In the Kurdish provinces, anger against the government was deep. In
Gaziantep 60 thousand workers, labourers and small tradesmen protested. In
Adana 20 thousand, Malatya 10 thousand, Adiyaman 10 thousand, Erzincan 5
thousand and in other Kurdish provinces varying numbers of people protested
against IMF and the government.
"IMF go home, government resign"
In all demonstrations people demanded the goverment to resign,
privatizations to be stopped, the plan of "zero rise" in salaries to be
cancelled and life conditions to be improved. Another demand voiced in some
of the Kurdish provinces was the abolishment of the martial law in the
region. In Istanbul 500 journalists -mostly unemployed- joined the
demonstrations.
Some other cities by numbers:
Mersin: 30 thousand; Antakya: 15 thousand; Eskisehir: 10 thousand; Bursa: 10
thousand; Afyon: 3 thousand; Manisa: 5 thousand; Adapazari: 5 thousand
The number of the protestors all around the country reached 500 thousand.
The Party of Labour (EMEP), that also had a great influence on the creation
of the Labour Programme had a strong impact and participation in all
demonstrations. The demonstrations and the programme have a vital importance
for all the people. For the first time the people have their own programme,
realising that the neoliberal economy is not the only alternative. Most
trade union leaders also say that they want the Labour Programme to be
implemented.
Today, most labour organisations agree that the only way to stop the
government is a general strike. This was the most frequently chanted slogan
in the demonstrations. The approaching May Day will be another day of
protest for the working class and labourers.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BUREAU
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