there were constructive meetings. i think the government did what we i think the government did what we said we think the government did what we said we would think the government did what we said we would do, think the government did what we said we would do, we think the government did what we said we would do, we would - think the government did what we said we would do, we would helpl said we would do, we would help facilitate said we would do, we would help facilitate communication- said we would do, we would help| facilitate communication between unions facilitate communication between unions and facilitate communication between unions and employers facilitate communication between unions and employers and - facilitate communication between. unions and employers and following my meeting. unions and employers and following my meeting. the unions and employers and following my meeting, the employers - unions and employers and following my meeting, the employers
Istanbul electricity workers’ struggle at the crossroads
After 2,000 workers at Boğaziçi Elektrik Dağıtım AŞ (Bedaş), a company distributing electricity to the European side of Istanbul, went on a wildcat strike in defiance of an official ban on strike activity in the electricity sector last Friday, several procapitalist forces are trying to drown their struggle in the dead end of trade unionism.
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World Socialist Web Site explained that the only way forward is building an independent, rank-and-file committee as part of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees and called on workers to “reject union calls to end the strike and wait until Thursday.” As the WSWS had previously warned, the Tes-İş union, affiliated to Türk-İş, completely ended the wildcat strike struggle and work-to-rule action, ordering a return to work in a statement released on Wednesday.
Thousands of Istanbul electricity workers launch wildcat strike
Thousands of workers at Boğaziçi Elektrik Dağıtım AŞ (Bedaş), a company distributing electricity to the European side of Istanbul, went on a wildcat strike on Friday. They are defying an official ban on strike activity in the electricity sector, to oppose poverty wages imposed by a contract negotiated with a pro-company union.
The great fear of the Turkish government, Bedaş and the Tes-İş union is that this will inspire other workers, in Turkey and internationally, to oppose deadly “herd immunity” policies and mounting poverty and social inequality amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The strike highlights the significance of the International Committee of the Fourth International’s (ICFI) launching of the call for an International Workers’ Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC).