Abdullah Öcalan’s call on February 27 marked the beginning of a new process that every segment of society has been closely following. Although the government attempts to limit the process to negotiations between the state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), communities affected by the state’s attacks on the Kurdish people continue to express their views.
In the construction sector, where the majority of workers are Kurdish, laborers also demand an immediate end to the war and the arrival of peace. Nihat Demir, General Secretary of the Revolutionary Construction and Road Workers’ Union (Dev-Yapı-Is), emphasized that workers support the demand for an honorable peace.
Conflicts deepen poverty and unemployment
In his remarks to ANF, Nihat Demir stated: “Recognizing the rights of the Kurdish people will not only bring freedom for Kurds but will also expand the freedom of workers, women, and all laborers.” He continued: “Workers welcome this process with hope. We know very well that war destroys the bread and the future of the worker, while peace builds the worker’s life. Conflicts deepen poverty, increase oppression, and worsen unemployment. Peace, on the other hand, expands our bread and secures our rights. For us as workers, peace means the expansion of trade union rights, the strengthening of freedoms, and the rooting of equality. That is why workers and laborers are the true owners of this process and its most determined supporters.”
Demir emphasized that the most important demands of workers are peace, equality, and a secure life, and underlined that the Kurdish people’s demand for mother tongue must be guaranteed in the constitution: “Our demand is very clear: a lasting peace, equal citizenship, and a secure life. Unless the Kurdish people’s demands for mother tongue, identity, and equality are constitutionally guaranteed, the working class cannot be free. Because where there is oppression and discrimination, the rights of the worker cannot flourish. We say this: without freedom, bread does not grow; without equality, there is no democracy; without peace, the worker’s future cannot be built. The common demand of workers, women, and youth is a free, equal, and peaceful Turkey.”
The state does not see the issue as a question of democracy
Nihat Demir noted that while the Kurdish Freedom Movement has taken steps, the state has not approached the matter properly. He also listed the demands of workers: “The state’s slow pace stems from its refusal to see this issue as one of democracy and equality. A security-centered mindset blocks the process. Yet we know that the gains of peace will benefit all the peoples of Turkey. Recognizing the rights of the Kurdish people will not only bring freedom for Kurds but will also expand the freedom of workers, women, and all laborers. As Turkey enters its second century, it stands at the threshold of a genuine democratic transformation. The state must act without delay, because the longer peace is postponed, the smaller the worker’s bread becomes, and the darker their future grows.
It is not enough to expect these steps only from the state; we workers and unions must also do our part for peace:
• Unions must strengthen the unity of workers and stand alongside the Kurdish people’s demands for equality and freedom.
• Peace must be explained everywhere, not only as a political issue, but also as a matter of bread, labor, and freedom.
• From strikes to factory meetings, from public squares to workers’ homes, the demand for peace must be raised.
• Women, youth, and laborers must be the real subjects of this process, and the language of peace must spread from workplaces to the streets.”
Everyone must do their part for peace
Nihat Demir said that the proper advancement of the process would change many things in Turkey and concluded:
“Because we know that if this long-standing problem is resolved, Turkey will experience a great transformation not only politically, but also economically, socially, and culturally. Production in factories will become stronger, our rights will be more secure, and young people will gain access to jobs and education opportunities.
In short, peace places a historic opportunity before Turkey. That is why we say: everyone must do their part for peace. Peace will not be the achievement of only one people, but the gain of all peoples and all workers.”