ZEYNEP AKGÜL

 

Ankara- We spoke to Nevin Kızılöz about their demands on International Workers’ Day. “We will hang our posters and banners on our buildings, workplaces, homes, streets, and squares for Labor Day, and we will announce our demands,” Nevin said.

 

·         What will be your Labor Day road map be like?

We will turn our houses, workplaces, and streets into a space for Labor Day with the slogan ‘We Are Here and We Will Build A New World By Ourselves.' We have been gone through difficult times; we are in times in which workers are under pressure, low wages are imposed, union rights and freedoms are under attacks, unemployment break a record, our democratic achievements are ignored, social state mechanisms are inadequate, and our living standard is shrinking day by day. But we will never give up our struggle to create a democratic country supporting equality and labor.

·         What is the theme for this years’ Labor Day and outstanding demands for it?

We demand all workers, who continue to work in production and service sectors, and their families to be vaccinated, the end of unpaid leave against workers, the use of money in the Unemployment Insurance Funds for workers become unemployed during the Covid-19 pandemic, the end of using these funds for the employers, the obstacles to the right to be a member of a union and the ban on strikes to be lifted and the minimum wage to be excluded from tax.

"Millions of people have to work during the pandemic”

·         During the pandemic, workers and laborers have been excused from the imposed lockdowns. They have to work and in this way, they have only two options; they will die of coronavirus or become unemployed. What would you like to say about this issue?

The government forces millions of people to work during the pandemic and pro-government building contractors keep winning tenders. Again, millions of Turkish liras continue to be transferred to these companies for building bridges, highways, airports, and city hospitals. Therefore, millions of people have to work during the pandemic and they take the risk of dying from the coronavirus.

·         Workers cannot take to the streets to demand their rights on Labor Day. What would you like to say about this?

Not only on May 1 but also every time, the working class and women cannot take to the streets to protest the violations of their rights and this situation demoralizes them and breaks their determination to struggle. The government announced a full lockdown and the workers have to work during that time but they have been banned from celebrating their day. This issue has been criticized by workers.

“Health of millions have been ignored”

·         What do you think about the full lockdown?

For the interests of capital and bosses, science and the health of millions have been ignored. We are prohibited from breathing in open areas but forced to work in closed areas. We will never give up our right to live.