On the 54th anniversary of the great workers’ resistance of 15-16 June, press statements and commemoration ceremonies are organised in Istanbul and in the provinces where we have Regional Representative Offices with the slogan “In the footsteps of the glorious 15-16 June, to the struggle for Bread, Justice and Freedom”.
İSTANBUL
On Thursday 13 June 2024, our General President Arzu Çerkezoğlu, General Secretary Tayfun Görgün, Deputy General President Özkan Atar and Executive Board member Şükret Sevgener attended the commemoration ceremony in Istanbul Yoğurtçu Park.
In addition to the headquarters and branch executives of our unions, a large number of workers, including Mersen workers who are members of Birleşik Metal İş and are on strike for their collective bargaining rights, took part in the ceremony.
Our 15-16 June commemoration programme in Yoğurtçu Park started with the speech of DİSK General Secretary Tayfun Görgün. Görgün greeted the workers who struggled and took to the streets on the anniversary of 15-16 June.Following Görgün, DISK President Arzu Çerkezoğlu made a speech and mentioned the importance of the 15-16 June resistance in the working class struggle. Emphasising that 15-16 June is a light that illuminates our way out of the dark period we are going through, our General President said that 15-16 June is a guiding light in the struggle against policies that suppress wages, impoverish large sections of the people, make workers drink the bitter prescription and make big capital happy.
After the press statement in Yoğurtçu Park, a march was organised to the spot where three workers were killed 54 years ago during the great workers’ resistance of 15-16 June. After the march, a moment of silence was observed for Yaşar Yıldırım, Mustafa Bayram and Mehmet Gıdak who lost their lives in the great workers’ resistance and carnations were left at the place where they were killed
"15-16 Haziran'ın izinde ekmek, adalet ve hürriyet mücadelesine"
Basın açıklaması ve anma töreni için Yoğurtçu Parkı'nda toplanıyoruz… pic.twitter.com/CjBaLkY32X— DİSK (@diskinsesi) June 13, 2024
ANKARA
On the 54th anniversary of the great workers’ resistance of 15-16 June, DİSK Central Anatolia Regional Representative Office held a press statement at Ankara Ulus Monument.
The press statement here was read by DISK Central Anatolia Regional Representative Birgül Kaya.
“The working class of Turkey can change this unjust order with their own hands. We, who produce all the values and beauties of the country, know that no force can defeat us when we unite and struggle in the light of the 15-16 June resistance.”
15-16 Haziran büyük işçi direnişin 54'üncü yılında DİSK İç Anadolu Bölge Temsilciliği Ankara Ulus Anıtı'nda bir basın açıklaması gerçekleştirdi. pic.twitter.com/ik2pnkScIB
— DİSK (@diskinsesi) June 13, 2024
MERSİN
DİSK Çukurova Regional Representative Office made a press statement at Mersin Özgür Çocuk Park to salute the 54th anniversary of the great workers’ resistance of 15-16 June.
LÜLEBURGAZ
Our Thrace Regional Representation greeted the 54th anniversary of the great workers’ resistance of 15-16 June with a press statement in Lüleburgaz Congress Square.
ESKİŞEHİR
In the press statement held by our Eskişehir Regional Representation in front of the DİSK Regional Representation, our 15-16 June statement was read.
The text read at the press statements in the factories, workplaces, workshops and various cities where DİSK is organised on the 54th anniversary of the great workers’ resistance:
To the struggle for bread, justice and freedom in the footsteps of the glorious 15-16 June!
As workers, labourers and pensioners, we are going through hard times.
Our salaries are melting in the face of high inflation; our bread is getting smaller every day. Justice in income, taxes and in the country is deteriorating a little more every day; while the rich are getting richer, millions are getting poorer. Our freedom, especially our trade union rights and freedoms, are being restricted to the fullest extent.
The great resistance of the Turkish working class on 15-16 June 1970 shows us how to overcome these difficult days.
We are together on the 54th anniversary of 15-16 June. 15-16 June is an epic of resistance where the working class stood up and said “Enough is enough!”. 15-16 June is the symbol of the working class’s calloused fist hitting the bourgeoisie and all exploitation.
Exactly 54 years ago, the political power of the time prepared a draft law to amend the Trade Union Law in order to effectively abolish DISK. According to the proposed law, in order for a trade union or confederation to operate throughout Turkey, it would have to have one third of the workers as members. They wanted to put a barrier in front of DISK with a threshold of 33 per cent. This draft law ignored the rights recognised in the 1961 Constitution. But even in those years there was a political power that was willing to violate the Constitution in order to lay a hand on the rights and livelihood of workers.
The bosses were, of course, behind this unconstitutional attempt to lock the doors of DISK. Because with its foundation in 1967, DISK had been growing stronger with its class and mass trade unionism line against the collaborationist, yellow trade unionism. As DISK grew stronger, wages were rising and workers were gaining new rights. As DISK grew stronger, the working class grew stronger. As DISK grew stronger, workers were putting a spoke in the wheels of the order of exploitation. As DISK grew stronger, workers had a say and decision in their workplaces and in the country.
Since the bosses and the government were uncomfortable with these developments, they wanted to destroy DISK. They thought that they would easily implement the legal regulation they had prepared to condemn workers to yellow unions. They turned a deaf ear to the calls and efforts of DISK. They did not listen to the workers’ reactions. They said, “If we do it, it will happen,” but they were wrong.
Unable to get any results from its attempts to prevent the bill from passing the Parliament, DİSK decided to take action by gathering all workplace representatives and managers on 14 June 1970. In his historic speech at this meeting, our Founding President Kemal Türkler said the following:
“Against the law in the Parliament, all unions affiliated to DİSK should immediately go on strike in their own workplaces, friends. We are workers, it is the workers who do everything in the world, but when the workers stop, as long as the workers who do everything in the world stop, the world will stop, friends, planes will stop, ships will stop, factories will stop, all vehicles will stop. Because as long as we, the workers, are in control of this, then everything will be solved by itself.”
And it happened as Kemal Türkler said. Starting from the morning of 15 June, not only DİSK workers, but all organised and unorganised workers resisted arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder.
First, more than 100 thousand workers from Izmit, Gebze and Istanbul started to march by cutting the asphalt of Ankara. Their numbers increased with every step, and new voices joined them with every kilometre. The barricades in their way disintegrated. Batons, panzers and even bullets could not stop the flood of workers. This spark also reached other big cities of Turkey.
The government of the time tried to silence the workers instead of listening to them. Bridges were removed and the workers’ march was tried to be prevented. Three workers, Yaşar Yıldırım, Mustafa Bayram and Mehmet Gıdak, lost their lives as a result of the gunfire. A 60-day martial law was declared. Many executives of DİSK and affiliated unions were arrested and tried by martial law courts. Over 5 thousand labour leaders were dismissed.
The government, which had darkened its eyes, enacted the law at the cost of workers’ blood, but could not implement it in practice. Thanks to the determination of the workers who said that our strength comes from our unity, it could not lock the doors of DİSK. As a matter of fact, the Constitutional Court cancelled this stillborn law. DISK’s views were vindicated. DISK won, the workers won.
It is our duty to tell this glorious resistance to the working class of Turkey from generation to generation. Because 15-16 June is not just a “date” to be commemorated. 15-16 June is a flare pointing the way out of the dark period we are going through.
Today we are together to express our determination to grow the struggle for bread, justice and freedom in the footsteps of the 15-16 June resistance. As the working class of Turkey, we have to organise the unity, solidarity and struggle shown in the 15-16 June resistance. Because exploitation, injustice and slavery are once again imposed on us.
It is openly declared by government officials that the losses due to inflation will not be compensated. While corporate profits are breaking records, we are faced with policies that are so irrational as to show wages as the cause of inflation.
All the wheels of order in Turkey are turning to cheapen labour.
For the sake of cheapening labour, even the Turkish Statistical Institute continues to censor the inflation basket despite court rulings, risking committing a crime.
For the sake of cheapening labour, Turkey maintains its place among the 10 countries with the worst labour rights in the world.
For the sake of cheapening labour, employers are allowed to usurp trade union rights, ILO conventions are blatantly violated, more than half of the working class in Turkey is condemned to the minimum wage, and the minimum wage is deliberately crushed by inflation.
For the sake of cheapening labour, occupational health and safety measures are seen as a cost factor and workers are killed in preventable work accidents.
For the sake of cheapening labour, pensioners are condemned to misery and forced to continue working.
While the slowdown in the economy due to rising interest rates leads to an increase in unemployment rates, increasing unemployment is seen as an opportunity to cheapen labour.
The government’s plan, clearly announced in the Medium Term Programme and the 12th Development Plan, continues to work. Policies that suppress wages, impoverish large sections of the people, in short, make us drink the bitter prescription again and make big capital happy are being implemented rapidly.
As income inequality grows, the tax burden falls more heavily on the shoulders of workers and low-income earners. While companies that make excessive profits are granted privilege after privilege in taxes, even if we struggle and increase our wages, these increases are usurped through “tax brackets”. Injustice in income is reinforced by injustice in taxation.
The working class of Turkey does not deserve this!
And the working class of Turkey can change this unjust order with their own hands.
We, who produce all the values and beauties of the country, know that when we unite and struggle in the light of the 15-16 June resistance, no force can defeat us.
We call on the working class of Turkey to unite under the roof of DISK and to struggle in the footsteps of the 15-16 June resistance!
Long live 15-16 June for justice in income, justice in taxes, justice in the country!
Long live 15-16 June for our trade union rights and for democracy!
Long live 15-16 June for bread, justice and freedom!
Long live the unity of the workers!
Long live the resistance!
Long live DISK!
