Massive Crackdown by Turkish Bosses

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As news came in of the major clashes in Turkey last week, we received the following article on the unfolding political and economic crisis from Jack Jöhnson, our correspondent in Istanbul.

The right wing Turkish government has launched a massive new attack on the living standards of the workers and poor peasants of Turkey in the form of a new "economic package".

The Turkish lira has been devalued by 50% against the dollar-and this vicious move has been accompanied by a 50% price increase on every basic commodity.

And a series of other moves have also been implemented by the Demirel government in response to commands from the IMF. In exchange the Turkish government is to obtain a $228 million loan.

New "package"

Among the measures in the new "package" is legislation to reduce the power of the Turkish National Enterprise Board and to denationalise the mines, the oll industry and sections of the agricultural indastry. This will open up some of the most proficable sectors of Turkish industry to exploitation by foreign and native capitalists These new measures will increase poverty and starva tion and will reduce the living standards of the working class below subsistence level.

The goverment's official "minimum wage" is 3,200 Turkish Lira per week. But average wages are actually 5-6,000 Turkish Lira per month.

From this, workers face prices of the following order:

PRICES IN Rented accomodation (2 rms, Bread (loaf) ... •••••• Meat (beef or lamb) (per kilo)

Cheese (per kilo)..

Cigarettes (20) ...

Eggs (dozen).....

Potatoes (per kilo).

Onions (per kilo)..

Beer (pint).

The latest increases seem set therefore to drive thousands of working class families into complete destitution.

Prime Minister Demirel defended the measures as necessary however, in order to stop the bankruptcy of capitalism in Turkey. : "Ăny country would do the same, he insisted% they, like Turkey faced inflation per month.

Demirel argued that inflation would have reached 120% in 1980 if these steps had not been taken, and pointed to the $17 billion international debts:

"If anyone has any different answers to this problem they are at liberty to say so."

He went on to ay that it would be "a great success" for the government to bold inflation in the 1980s to 50% per year as now planned.

«Fundamental change"

But Bulent Ecevit, Heater of the main bourgeois opposition party, the RPP, spoke out strongly against the w package.

*This is not simply a set of economic measures but a fundamental change in the economy", he declared.

Complaining about the reduction of the power of the state in the Turkish economy, Ecevit stated his view that the 'administration of the economy had now been handed over to big capital and foreign financial JRKE mont 2-3000 TL:

..8TL: 300TL 250TLI . 25TL 120TL 35TL 35TL 50TL:

institutions:

••. the streets, schools and state apparatus have been handed over to the Grey Wolves [fascists] but now the economy is handed over to some other wolves!"

"Cards on table"

In a follow-up speech Ecevit went on to warn that Demirel:

"wants to introduce an extended version of an economic model which was developed in Latin America. This cannot be introduced in any country without abolishing democracy. It cannot be done without abolishing workers' democratic rights Now the cards are on the table: the danger is in froat of everyone's eyes."

But Ecevit's zasaer offered workers no way forsad He called on workers orin "to beware of due deser and take their stand wit democratic regime, otherwise it will be too late"

Ecevit's diagnosis of j* situation is certainly parted! correct. There is an imminear danger of a fascist-military take over in Turkey.

Demagogy

However Ecevit's call to workers to defend democracy is mere empty demagogy. It is a aimed mainly at Turkish left continuation of his strategy of subordinating the independent strength and class demands of the workers movement behind his bourgeois party, the RPP, which speaks in populist terms in order to bolster the interests of sections of Turkish capitalism.

• Demirel's recessionary plans will of course put many of Ecevit's bourgeois backers out of business-and reinforce the hold of larger and foreign capitalists over the economy.

Hollow

Yet Ecevit's denunciations Nemirel and his government's threats to democracy ring remarkably hollow.

He himself has admitted that only a few months ago he Turkish troops in action called on Demirel to form an RPP-Justice Party coalition to adopt a common approach to the problems of the Turkish He also agreed with Demirel on the passing of a series of anti-working class, anti-democratic legislation.

It was Ecevit's own previous administration that introduced martial law into the major cities and introduced a battery of repressive legislation.

Ecevit himself carried through successive devaluations and rounds of price increases.

In other words Ecevit played key role in preparing the present situation he is now complaining about, by attacking and disarming the working class.

Now he calls on workers to "defend democracy"! Such hypocrisy must be rejected out of hand.

Popular Frontist Of the trade union leaders only the right wing confederation TURK-IS has so far spoken on the situation, and renewed its reactionary call for an RPPJustice Party coalition.

But within the next few days the other workers. organisations will take their positions. No miraculous about-turn should be expected from these organisations, whose leaders have for years clung to a Popular Frontist alliance with Ecevit and the RPP.

Even after the recent ultimatum from army leaders and a new wave of repression against the workers movement they still cling to the illusion of defending democracy through democratic means. Since the formation of Demirel's government, repres sion and fascist terror have reached a new peak: the firs 73 days of Demirel's administration has seen 497 killed and 779 wounded in fighting.:

Closed down The teachers association TOB-DER has been closed down, and its leaders are still in prison. The leaders of the metal workers union are also still in prison: they were arrested for singing the 'Internationale' at the end of their union congress.

A huge witch-hunt is continuing throughout the country against militants in the unions.

11,000 workers government-owned TARIS agricultural products firm are on strike following a police/ army raid on their factory. TARIS workers resisted the police, and an armed struggle broke out, ending in 400 arrests.

Meanwhile the government is pursuing a policy of sending fascist workers into this factory to root out and crush the workers' organisations.

Savagery The killing of a trade, union leader by fascists and government attacks have also broughtabout another strike, this time by 20,000 workers at the state cigarette and alcohol firm TEKEL.

The savagery of the police raid on the TARIS factory led to protests from students at Egion University-in which there were armed clashes between police and students. And hundreds of students in Istanbul were arrested while protesting against police activity.

500 workers from one cotton factory in Istanbul were arrested and held for days in a school after they refused to join the fascist trade union confederation MISK. At the same time 40,000 government employed road and constructión workers have been forced by the state to join MISK And thousands of teachers who took action in protest over last year's fascist massacre at Karamanmaras are being victimised.

protected Repression can be seen everywhere-even in the streets of Istanbul, which is patrolled by armed soldiers stopping and searching individuals and cars; houses are raided-and raids on whole districts are becoming common.

Yet the fascists are always protected in these moves by the state. There has been no move to repress them in the areas they control-though. left-wing controlled areas suffer the full brunt of state repression, and constant attacks by armed fascist gangs.

There is no sign that the potentially powerful Turkish workers' movement has given up the struggle for its rights. The metal workers union, its leaders still in jail, has declared that its wage negotiations have broken down, and that it is almost •definite there will be a national Ecevit strike very soon.

And there are hundreds of small strikes and struggles going on. There will be more in the coming months as the working class show their refusal to accept the attacks from the government, the fascists and the military.

But the question of questions is under what leadership and with what perspective will these struggles be waged... nicks there is a break trom the wretched collaborationist policies of the union leaders and Ecevit's pleas to "defend democracy" , there is a danger that the working class will be delivered up by its leaders to a fascist catastrophe.

There must be no confidence placed in Ecevit or the Turkish bourgeoisie to defend democracy. Rather workers must take up the independent fight in defence of their jobs, living standards and basic class organisations.

Defence squads

Armed workers defence squads are the only way to defeat the of the fascists.

And there must be a political break from Ecevit. Demand the workers parties and organisations torm a united front, to organise a General Strike to defeat the Demirel government and carry through the fight for a workers and peasants government in Turkey!

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THE TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMME IN TODAY'S CLASS Founding document of the Trotskyist International Liaison Committee London WC1V 6XX

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