#Turkey, Istanbul: Greeting of the WFTU Representative in DISK Congress

The DISK Congress took place in Istanbul, WFTU was represented by comrade Ferhat Tum. He addressed a greeting in which he underlined the comradeship between WFTU, DISK and the working class of Turkey.

The Greeting of comrade Ferhat Tum filled with enthusiasm and pride the affiliate and friends of WFTU in the Congress.

The greeting of comrade Tum:

Dear colleagues,

Workers of Turkey,

On behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions and the 92 million members in the 5 continents we represent, I want to convey our warm fraternal greetings and our best wishes for the 15th Congress of DISK.

We are especially happy for being present at the Congress of DISK, of the militant, class oriented confederation of the Turkish working class. The WFTU knows very well the great role of DISK in the struggles of the Turkish working class, the sacrifices of its members and cadres, the persecution against DISK. After all, the WFTU has historic relations with DISK, since it’s the organization that on international level represents the class oriented trade unionism that DISK represents in your country, against compromise with employers, against yellow trade unionism. Our two organizations are bound with ties of friendship and internationalist class solidarity, forged through common struggles and common course.

Your congress is held in a period, when as a result of the crisis of the capitalist system, the imperialist powers are competing for the control over natural and economic resources, markets, energy transport routes. We witness the aggressiveness of NATO against the workers and the peoples in Turkey, Syria, Palestine and other countries. It is the imperialists and their supporter who create the enormous waves of refugees. At the same time, inside all capitalist countries we witness the aggression of the capital against the workers, expressed by new anti labor legislation who eliminate working rights, flexible labor relations, wage and pension cuts, cuts on social security, but also with elimination and violation of trade union rights and people’s freedoms. In Greece, Turkey, Romania, Albania, everywhere, the rights of the workers are being cut.

Facing this situation, it is a duty of the militant labor activists and class oriented unions on international level, to coordinate their steps. In this context, this year is very important for WFTU, since we are organizing the 17th World Trade Union Congress, during October 5-8 2016 in Durban, South Africa. Class oriented trade union organization from all over the world are going to meet there. WFTU has called upon militant, fighting unions to take part, join their voices through this important trade union event, strengthen their struggles for the rights of the workers and mark the upward course of the WFTU.

Dear comrades,

We deeply appreciate the struggles of DISK for democratic and trade union freedoms, for stopping the killing of civilians, for respect of dignity and privacy, for the right of the progressive intellectuals to express their opinions, so that the crime in Some will not be forgotten and that the culprits pay. We are sure that through the your 15th Congress, DISK will become stronger and more capable of fighting for the interests of the Turkish workers, more capable of contributing to the struggle of the international working class against exploitation. Be sure, that in this struggle, you can count on the solidarity and the support of the WFTU and the class oriented trade union movement.

Long live the Turkish working class!

Long live proletarian internationalism!

Thank you.