One year has passed since Abdullah Öcalan’s call on 27 February 2025, and during Newroz celebrations, the Kurdish people once again demonstrated that they are ready for a new phase and a new process. How the peoples of Turkey view this process, however, remains a subject of curiosity.
General presidents of the Food Workers Union (Gıda-Iş), Revolutionary Construction Workers Union (Dev-Yapı-Iş), United Metal Workers Union (Birleşik Metal-Iş), and Social Workers Union (Sosyal-Iş), all affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DISK), spoke to ANF about how the working class, facing severe poverty and exploitation in Turkey and subjected to decades of intense chauvinist and militarist propaganda, perceives the new process and approaches the struggle for peace.
The rich start wars, the poor die
Olcay Ozak, General President of the Food Workers Union, affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey, said that the working class stands against war: “As the working class, we have always stood on the side of peace and against war. Because we know that wars show their most destructive economic and political impact on workers and laborers. The working class is forced to struggle with unemployment, poverty, hunger and misery. Based on this fundamental reality, it must be said that ‘the rich start wars, the poor die.’”
Ozak also stated that the working class has historically been divided by those in power. He said: “Workers and laborers have been divided through various motives, based on belief or ethnic identity. The workers and laborers of our country have paid a heavy price for these sectarian, racial and ethnic divisions. We have witnessed the Maraş, Sivas and Gazi incidents, as well as the forty-year struggle of the Kurdish people for equal rights.”
He added that the struggle for peace has partially halted this division and opened the way for unity within the class: “I think the peace process has, at least to some extent, stopped this division, paving the way for unity within the class and enabling workers to focus on their own demands. This situation is being perceived positively for now. However, its permanence seems to depend on the credibility of the outcomes of the process and the fulfillment of society’s expectations.
As we approach May 1, building a line of struggle against the ongoing war alongside us, together with the accumulated problems and demands of the working class, is our priority. The deep poverty caused by severe economic attacks in our country, the rising cost of living, increasing unemployment, the restriction of democratic rights and freedoms, the obstruction of the organization of the working class and laborers, and the intimidation of those seeking their rights and the working class through the arrest of trade unionists and journalists are among our main issues for May 1.
I believe that the struggle for peace and labor will be the main agenda of May 1, 2026.”
The struggle of labor cannot be separated from the struggle for peace
Özkan Atar, General President of the United Metal Workers Union, said that workers always pay the price in wars: “In wars, it is always workers and laborers who lose their lives, become impoverished, are pushed into insecurity and are displaced from their homes. For this reason, peace is as vital for us as bread and water, it is a prerequisite for living with dignity. The struggle of labor cannot be separated from the struggle for equality, freedom and peace.
The emergence of a will for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, which has for years caused all kinds of losses, especially loss of life, and has turned into a deep trauma for the entire country and its people, following the process that began after 27 February 2025, is valuable. However, for this process to turn into a lasting peace, concrete and confidence-building steps must be taken on the basis of equality, law and democracy. Doubts about the fate of this process persist in a country where the rule of law has been set aside, where attacks on the right to vote and be elected continue, where the will of the people is ignored, and where journalists, trade unionists and politicians are imprisoned, while all dissenting voices are sought to be silenced through judicial pressure.
On the other hand, due to the aggression of the Zionist Israeli state and the imperialist policies of the United States, the region has turned into a bloodbath. As workers and laborers, we must strengthen the struggle for peace, the brotherhood of peoples and class solidarity all around the world against the attacks of the United States and Israel and against imperialism.”
Atar said that the political power seeks to legitimize poverty through war and security narratives and continued: “Through its deliberate policies, the government is trying to legitimize deepening poverty, insecurity and violations of rights by invoking ‘war,’ ‘security’ and ‘terror.’ However, workers now clearly see that the exploitation they face cannot be concealed by such justifications, and that the system of poverty and servitude is a choice.
We view this process as a ground where the struggle for bread meets the struggle for peace and democracy. With this awareness, we are preparing with all our strength for a May 1 in which millions, especially in working-class cities across the country, will voice their demands for peace, democracy and a dignified life in the strongest possible way.”
Steps must be taken to meet society’s expectations
Özgür Karabulut, General President of the Revolutionary Construction Workers Union, said that the new process represents an opportunity for all segments of society. Karabulut said: “We see this as a historic process and a major opportunity for all sections of society. The country’s biggest problem can move away from a period of conflict and enter a path of political and social resolution. At this point, the Kurdish movement has taken radical steps, from laying down arms to the dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has entered into a practical process of change and transformation. However, the state side still refrains from taking steps that will meet the expectations of society. For this reason, the process needs to accelerate.”
Karabulut added that the country’s resources have long been spent on security-oriented policies, forcing workers and laborers to live through ongoing crises: “For years, the country’s resources, the taxes collected from workers and laborers, have been directed toward military spending, war and rent-based projects. This has led to economic, political and social crises. The government’s policies of non-solution have polarized different segments of society and eliminated the ground for collective struggle.
You may recall such an incident: At an election rally, in one of the workplaces where it received the most votes, the government responded to a crowd protesting price increases by saying, ‘Do you know how much a bullet costs? That is why prices are high,’ bringing war and conflict to the forefront to manufacture consent. Many issues that sparked objection and protest were turned into social consent through the creation of an artificial enemy.
At least in this process, this situation will be removed, and workers, laborers and the oppressed will be able to express their demands while voicing their reactions to issues such as deep poverty and unemployment. Artificial agendas will disappear. As they articulate their own problems more freely, they will also be able to find ways toward solutions. Obstacles to unionization and organization will be raised more loudly, without resorting to excuses.”
No democracy without lasting peace
Ilhan Ağırbaş, General President of the Social Workers Union, affiliated with the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey, said that the progress of the process is important and pointed to the significance of a democratic solution: “Turkey has passed a critical threshold as of 27 February 2025 and has opened the door to a new political climate. Undoubtedly, the heavy burden of the past and painful experiences remind us every day that this path will not be a bed of roses. However, despite all provocations and attempts at obstruction, the continuation of the process proves that society’s desire for peace and its will for a democratic solution remain unshaken.
As the Social Workers Union, we and all democratic forces are following this process with cautious optimism but with determination. It is naive to speak of democracy on lands where lasting peace has not been built. In a system where democracy cannot breathe, no guarantee that will protect workers’ bread and rights can survive. Our approach is clear: this process must be carried out through a transparent, egalitarian method that places the will of the peoples at its center; trust can only be built by observing mutual rights and law.”
They used nationalism to silence workers
Ilhan Ağırbaş said that workers have long been exploited through narratives of “patience and sacrifice”: “The working class in Turkey has been trying to survive for decades within the gears of a systematic mechanism of exploitation. Poverty is no longer a statistic; it has become a dark cloud hanging over households, and the value of labor has been deliberately suppressed through policy.
Those in power who have sought to cover up this heavy reality, have repeatedly resorted to the rhetoric of ‘war’ and ‘security’ whenever they are cornered, urging workers to show ‘patience and sacrifice.’ However, this reality can no longer be concealed. Today, workers clearly see the truth: Poverty is not the fate of this country, but a deliberate choice of those in power, and this choice is consistently made in favor of capital rather than labor. The growing awareness within the working class signals that this illusion is beginning to collapse. Workers now understand much more clearly that the cost of war policies is always imposed on their own lives, that rights taken away under the pretext of crisis serve to create a smooth path for capital, and that nationalism has been used as an instrument to divide and silence workers.”
Ağırbaş added that militarist and chauvinist propaganda has begun to lose its influence and described the changing attitude of workers: “For years, the justification of ‘security’ was used like a hammer against even the most basic struggles for rights. Our strikes were banned under the pretext of ‘national security,’ and our union organizing was suppressed by being framed within the discourse of ‘terror.’
This rhetoric is now losing its effect. Workers are no longer merely objecting; they are demanding accountability: Why does every crisis strike us at the very core? Why is sacrifice expected from those whose pots are already empty? Why does the wealth of a small group of the rich increase as the sounds of weapons grow louder? The fact that these questions are now being voiced loudly in factories, construction sites and offices marks a historic turning point for the labor movement.
Our reality is clear: If there is war, resources are directed not to the people but to weapons, making poverty inevitable. If there is no democracy, trade union rights remain nothing more than words on paper. In a climate where peace does not exist, lasting social welfare is impossible.”
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