Partnership of capital and power: They established a system of exploitation with sticks

POLITICS SERVICE

Turkey is becoming an ever-deepening labor hell. The wheels of exploitation, based on uninsured, precarious, and cheap labor, continue to turn in unison between capital and the Palace regime, which is constantly escalating authoritarianism. Built on the ruthless exploitation of millions, including children, the elderly, retirees, women, and refugees, the regime has effectively neutralized organized struggle, labor organizations, and social opposition. Contrary to popular belief, capital appears unfazed by the country's oppressive regime. On the contrary, it has become clear that labor exploitation and political oppression are two complementary elements.

The regime construction continued apace with the 2013 Gezi Resistance and the fight against the Gülen movement, the government's loss in the elections in 2015 and the subsequent end of the peace process, the coup attempt in 2016 and the subsequent pressure of the state of emergency, the constitutional referendum in 2017, the presidential elections in 2018, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality elections renewed by the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) coup in 2019, and the arrest of CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu and mayors following the March 19 coup attempt.

Bans have become routine

As the political regime steadily escalates its repressive regime, the labor regime is also becoming authoritarian. This regime is based on the erosion of labor's institutional, organizational, political, and ideological power. Multifaceted measures, including the use of judicial cudgels and security apparatuses, as well as the perpetual indebtedness of the population, are being implemented. Millions of people have been created who are indebted, vulnerable, and struggling with future anxieties. The struggles of millions of poor people to demand their rights and to protest have also been suppressed.

During the 22 years of the AKP's rule, approximately 200,000 workers' strikes were banned under the guise of "postponement," and the number of workers exercising their right to strike fell short of 100,000. Most recently, according to a decision signed by AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and published in the Official Gazette, the strike decision taken by the Turkish Miners' Union was postponed for 60 days on the grounds that it was deemed "disturbing national security." Last year's ban on metalworkers' strikes drew intense public outrage. Obstacles to workers continued, including police repression. Hundreds of protests were forcibly suppressed across the country. In 2024, Polonez workers, dismissed for union membership, resisted for 172 days. Workers attempting to march to Ankara were subjected to police and gendarmerie intervention. The government used all its might to suppress the resistance.

THE GOVERNMENT'S PROBLEM IS A ROSE GARDEN WITHOUT THORNS

At this point, an authoritarian regime has been established that has cracked down on everything from labor struggles to municipal real estate, from olive groves to companies through the SDIF (Savings Deposit Insurance Fund). Furthermore, the 2026 Presidential Annual Program will usher in a period of precariousness for public sector employees. The program includes legislative work to implement "flexible working" models in the public sector. While the program claims that "flexible working" models such as short-time work, working from home, and hybrid working will be more compatible with the social security system, the reality is quite the opposite. The government is once again imposing a cheap and precarious working life on millions. War has been declared on unions and professional chambers that raise voices and object. Labor organizing has been hindered, and unions have been effectively banned from factories. From minimum wage increases to poverty wages for retirees, society's most pressing problems have been suppressed. While the authority of professional chambers is being curtailed, the authority of municipalities is also poised to be eroded. While the AKP-MHP government is turning the country into hell with the interests of capital, it is also trying to create a rose garden without thorns for itself.

According to the İSİG Assembly's "Workplace Homicide Report," at least 169 workers lost their lives in October. The number of "workplace homicides" in the first ten months of the year reached 1,737. According to the report, eight of those who lost their lives in workplace homicides were children, while seven were refugees or migrants. Since the beginning of the year, at least 75 children have lost their lives in workplace homicides. The workplace homicide in Dilovası, which claimed the lives of six women, three of whom were children, once again revealed the collusion of the state and employers in the pursuit of profit.