Oil & Union: Turkey's Refinery Row

The provided article discusses the ongoing labor struggle of Tüpraş oil refinery workers in Turkey against layoffs and deteriorating working conditions. It criticizes the Türk-İş trade union confederation and its affiliate Petrol-İş for allegedly collaborating with management to suppress worker dissent and protect the interests of the company rather than the workers. Specifically, the union is accused of preventing independent strike action and accepting unfavorable agreements that undermine job security and wages. The article highlights the workers' grievances, including the planned layoffs of around 500 workers due to automation, declining real wages amidst high inflation, and increasingly precarious working conditions. It argues that the union leadership is actively working to prevent a genuine struggle against these issues. The author calls for the Tüpraş workers to reject the existing union bureaucracy and take control of their own struggle by forming independent rank-and-file committees. These committees would serve as a means for workers to democratically organize, formulate their own demands, and coordinate action independent of the union leadership. The article asserts that only through this independent organization can the workers effectively fight against the company and defend their jobs and livelihoods. find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/05/08/vltv-m08.html