Speaking within the scope of the Second Century Economics Congress, academician and trade unionist Yıldırım Koç said, “You will see that people will unite in actions and in a fight for bread. A miner friend of mine has a saying; The working class cannot stand up until the cushion on which they sit is ignited. We are entering a period in which the mattress ignites,” he said.

Within the scope of the Economics Congress of the Second Century, academician and trade unionist Yıldırım Koç made a presentation titled “The Current Situation and Problems of Trade Unionism in Turkey”. Yıldırım Koç said, “When the first Economics Congress was held in 1923, the working class in Turkey was very weak both quantitatively and qualitatively. Non-Muslims predominated. At that time, the unions in Istanbul cooperated with the imperialist countries instead of supporting the struggle in Anatolia. Muslim workers lost their lives in the struggle. Therefore, in the Economics Congress in 1923, the workers naturally could not find the necessary place. Today we are in very different circumstances. The working class of Turkey is strong enough to leave its mark on the social and political future, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The power that will mark Turkey’s political and social future is the Turkish working class. Turkey is rapidly going through an economic earthquake,” he said.

Economic earthquake emphasis

Providing information about the working class and the development of trade unionism in Turkey, Koç said, “We are entering a very different process. Workers transcend the unionists and take action themselves. If they pass on to the perception that the political power is weakening, they are extremely realistic in this regard and mass actions take place spontaneously. If you catch a bird with your mouth, you cannot activate the worker who is satisfied with his life. We are now heading for a brand new economic earthquake. Today, 70% of Turkey is workers and civil servants. If you add other segments, it exceeds 80%. Under these conditions, there will be so much social impoverishment for the first time in Turkey’s history. In these conditions, you will see that people will unite in the struggle for bread in the coming days. A miner friend of mine has a saying; The working class cannot stand up until the cushion on which it sits catches fire. We are entering a period in which the mattress ignites,” he said.

Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency