We publish here some more solidarity letters we have received and passed on to the Tekel workers in Turkey. The courageous struggle has now gone on for more than 60 days and put huge pressure on the Turkish government. The letters from workers and trade unionists from all over the world are a great source of inspiration in order not to give in but fight until the victory. Please keep on sending them!
From Canada
February 16, 2010
To the Tekel Workers;
Sisters and Brothers, on behalf of 3,200 members of the Vancouver Local of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers I send you greetings of solidarity. Your fight against privatization is an inspiration to workers everywhere. The bosses and their governments are attacking workers all over the world. In one country after another, workers are facing privatization, wage cuts and sackings. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has struggled for decades
against privatization and we are proud to stand with the Tekel workers in this fight.
The marvelous strike that took place on February fourth is only a taste of what is to come. There is no power on earth greater than that of working people mobilized and united. Stand strong. Hold your heads high. The workers of the whole world are behind you.
In Solidarity,
Robert Mulvin,
President - CUPW Vancouver
C. Vancouver Local Executive
lh/cuPE-3338
From Albania
Dear comrades and friends!
These dayes millions of workers and other people are looking and supporting the Tekel workers in their struggle for the job security in their action against the government pressure.
The Tekel workers’ determined action against the privatisation of their company, sold to British -American Tobacco (BAT), with many job losses and pay cuts.
This strike tell that finally, the workers are knowing themselves - the work power, that undervalued from governments in capitalist States.
The Tekel strike gave a good lesson, not only for Turkey workers and the government, but for all the workers and governments of the world. For that reason Ankara is today the capital of the workers of the world. Ankara with this act of the workers will be named perhaps tomorow the capital of a new comming world empire that will have neither oppresors and nor exploiters.
For that reason the Tekel workers have get today a great solidarity from millions of workers and other strates of the society in and out Turkey.
The general strike is a big step forward to the workers’ movement in this capitalist country. It is testifing the enormous potential of the organised workers’ movement as an unbreakable force, that is fighting for its own class interests and the wide masses. The action of the workers from Turkish, Kurdish and others - will cut across the bosses and their policy of the dividing and ruling. This is the way stright the building of a strong and united working class movement, that with its revolutionary doctrine will have the power to change fundamentally the actual society.
This action of Tekel workers will make up a handful for them political forces that are reconciled with bourgeosie to discharge the crise consequences to the wide masses. This event is showing that we are living in the peak of the revolution epoch.
In the name of PLA(riorganised) I am grreting at first Tekel workers, you and all peoples that are joined today with mind and heart with the strikers. I think that bourgeosie will not let the stone without move to broken them spiritualy and fisicaly, to trasform the victory in defeat. Fort hat I am calling:
SUPPORT, SUPPORT AND ONLY SUPPORT TO TEKEL WORKERS!
Laver Stroka
See some of the earlier solidarity messages here.
A Turkish translation of some of the messages can be found here.
Please keep on sending messages of solidarity and support to editor@marxist.com. We will pass on these messages to the Tekel workers.