Support for striking workers from SOL Party

As the strike at the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality enters its fifth day, support for the workers has come from the SOL Party İzmir Provincial Organization.

The statement said, "Like everyone else, we see that after the 'shake them up' instruction from the Palace regime, revenues in municipalities governed by opposition parties have been restricted, and pressures and arrests have taken place, and we have been fighting against these injustices in an organized manner since the first day. However, neither these economic pressures nor the clique discussions/fights within the CHP can be billed to the laborers. Laborers only want equal pay for equal work. This means that a worker belonging to a different union doing the same job should not receive a higher salary than another worker. This is unacceptable in any workplace. The workers are right and, of course, they will win." 

Stating that 'as a result of the decline of class struggle in the country, the issue of 'strikes' is also being turned into an element of tension in the city,' the statement continued as follows:

"A strike is when workers use their power stemming from production to bring life to a standstill. Everywhere in the world, a public strike shows what would happen if workers did not work and puts pressure on public administrators. Rhetoric on social media that pits workers against the public, mayors collecting trash, efforts to win over tradespeople against workers, and receiving help from other municipalities are actions that harm the class struggle. The future consequences of this tension will be severe, and there can be no excuse for strike-breaking. The demand for equal pay for equal work must be met, and the signatures must be signed without delay."

"WE INVITE YOU TO SOLIDARITY"

The statement further noted:

"Finally, we address the people of İzmir, our fellow citizens, with whom we have been fighting together on the streets against reactionism, oppression, and injustice since March 19: In our city, where the poverty line has exceeded 80 thousand and rents are approaching 30 thousand, debating whether the wages requested by the workers are 'too much or too little' is not reasonable or logical. (Moreover, the requested wages are not the figures reflected in the public eye.) What is reasonable is for the workers to emerge from this strike having secured their rights and to set an example for all sectors. As gains increase in a strike that has become a matter of public interest, the amount demanded in every sector and workplace will also increase; bosses will be forced to take these percentages into account during raise periods. With these sentiments, we invite public administrators to take responsibility and our citizens to exercise common sense and solidarity."