DİSK protests heavy taxes and low wages in Ankara: 'Enough is enough, we cannot make ends meet'

The 'Great Workers' Gathering' of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) was held in Ankara. DİSK members criticized the country's economic conditions and the inadequacy of the justice system. DİSK members gathered on Mareşal Fevzi Çakmak Street and then marched to Anıtpark.

At the DİSK gathering, the message was given that 'employers legally crush workers.' Emphasizing 'justice,' the union members protested against tax policies that 'pass the bill of the economy onto the workers.'

Workers who came to the capital from different provinces of Turkey for the march chanted, "We want justice in income, in taxes, and in the country" during the march.

During the march, they also carried banners reading, 'The Angel of Death comes with death, oppression comes with taxes' and 'Stones are boiling in the kitchen instead of food.' During the march, union members also tried to make their voices heard across Turkey with the slogan, 'Jobs, bread, and freedom.'

WORKERS DESCRIBED THEIR SITUATION WITH 'REPRESENTATIVE' COFFINS

DİSK members carried three 'representative' coffins during the march to show their reaction. The coffins were inscribed with, 'Deceased: Worker; Cause of Death: Tax Bracket,' 'Their last words were justice in taxes and justice in income,' and 'The deceased paid a lot of taxes.'

Some DİSK members hit the pots they were holding with spoons and ladles they brought with them during the march. The workers performing this act also chanted, 'Stones are boiling in the kitchen instead of food.'

During the demonstration, banners reading 'Taxes have sucked the worker's blood' and 'We are being peeled slice by slice' also stood out.

During the march, the workers addressed Turkey with the slogans, 'The unity of workers will defeat capital,' 'In spite of everything, the union; in spite of everything, DİSK,' 'We will win by uniting,' and 'Long live our organized struggle.'

CHP deputies Mahmut Tanal, Aylin Yaman, and Kayıhan Pala also participated in the march.

On the other hand, KESK Co-Chair Ahmet Karagöz, EMEP Chairman Seyit Aslan, and Mamak Mayor Veli Gündüz Şahin were among those who supported the march.

News Source: 12punto