Plattform gegen Privatisierung

Die Privatisierungsprojekte der türkischen Regierung gehören zu den weitestgehenden ihrer Art: beispielsweise soll alles Wasser des Landes, inklusive der Quellen privatisiert werden. Angesichts dieser Pläne und der Tatsache, dass trotz erheblichen Widerstands die sogenannte Reform der Sozialversicherung durchgepeitscht wurde hat sich nun eine "Plattform gegen Privatisierung" gebildet, der bisher rund ein halbes Dutzend Gewerkschaften, ebensoviele Berufsorganisationen und der Verbraucherverband angehören. In ihrer "DECLARATION OF THE PLATFORM AGAINST PRIVATIZATION" vom 25. August 2008 unterstreichen die Organisationen, dass öffentliche Betriebe und Einrichtungen auch wirklich öffentlich sein müssen, mit den entsprechenden Einflussmöglichkeiten der Bürgerschaft. Aktuell wendet sich die Plattform vor allem gegen die Privatisierung im Energiebereich.

DECLARATION OF THE PLATFORM AGAINST PRIVATIZATION

The Turkish Republic has been losing all values and accomplishment created with sweat and blood since her establishment. All values and capabilities of the country accumulated thus far by mobilizing public resources are given out as gifts to the capitalist class. The process of destruction and robbery called privatization started first with the privatization of the SEK (Milk Processing Enterprise) and E.B.K (Meat and Fishery Products) and continued with the privatization of banks. The damage and plunder associated with the process of privatization included usurpation of the funds of public banks and gained further momentum with the privatization of TEKEL (Toba cco Products, Salt and Alcohol Enterprises Inc), TCDD (General Directorate Of Turkish Railways Administration), railways stations and ports , PETKIM (Petrochemistry Holding Inc.), TÜPRAS (Turkish Petroleum Refineries Corporation), TELEKOM (Turk Telecommunication Inc. ), bridges and highways.

Our people have been deceived by the discourse that economic resources allocated to these public utilities which are claimed to be awkward, inefficient and a burden to the budget can be channelled to education, health and social security through privatization and by the withdrawal of the State from economic life.

Those who hold political power have mobilized for the failure of public enterprises;

All efforts have been made to alienate people from public enterprises. Public investments have been suspended; qualified and trained personnel have been driven out of public service; public management has been sentenced to linger on without any investment; cash value which belongs to public has been used as cheap source of finance for the State; developments in technology have not been made any use of and no improvement has been introduced to service quality. Public enterprises which create value and employment for the development of our country were forced to suffer losses so as to impress public opinion in favour of privatization

The SEE privatized earlier in a tricky manner is now left to the State again with their debts after their assets have been vacuumed by their private owners. Many enterprises of regulatory character in their respective areas have been done away with this way.

The attack of capitalism which is waged under the banner of neo-liberal policies, discourse of "new world order" or globalization is still continuing with the support and loyalty of political power backed up and accompanied by IMF and World Bank.

Privatization means the transfer of public goods and utilities to exploiters.

Redistribution of goods and services and public ownership of means of production to the favour of the private sector, minimizing the direct share of public sector in national economy and gradually erasing this share out mean that public resources are transferred to capital's side.

Order of despoliation with profit guarantee: "Privatization"

Today, it is desired that production of goods and services which respond to people's most essential needs such as education, health, social security, energy and communication is left to the mercy of capital. Public good and services have been privatized by claiming that goods and services produced under free market conditions would become cheaper and in better quality thanks to so called competitive conditions. However, by giving purchasing guarantee to goods and services that are produced by privatized enterprises, it is virtually admitted that from the very beginning competition has never been among the objectives of privatization.

Privatization is unemployment, poverty and deficiency!

As a result of privatizations, many losses are being incurred including rights of persons employed in privatized enterprises in the first place. Working life is under attack as workers are denied of their right to unionization and as practice of sub-contracting becomes more and more common. Legal struggle waged for public interest by professional organizations and trade unions is being tried to be subjugated by all kinds of means and devious ways are used to conquer organizations that stand against privatization by those who support the ruling Government.

We will defend the rule of law!

Although professional organizations and trade unions have won most of lawsuits which were brought against those who made public utilities a present for their supporters and exploiters, the executive avoided implementing judiciary decisions. Political power has disregarded the law and suspended the execution of judiciary decisions by introducing new regulations, which means nothing less than breaching the principle of the rule of law.

Energy is most profitable field of our epoch

As in other public services, in electricity production and distribution companies too persons who are not qualified in the areas of planning, producing, transmitting and distributing have been appointed to important positions. TEDAS ( Turkish Electricity Distribution Company) which was created by disintegrating TEK (Turkish Electricity Administration) has been again disintegrated and separated into regions which were profitable with respect to industry and urbanization.

As other governments in the past, today's AKP government has been going forward with privatizations and these policies have almost ruled of the public sector. Impediments on the path of the private sector have been removed and an order of sheer exploitation has been created. In that order, private sector can determine the prices as it wants, it can leave workers without union coverage and can force them to work without any job security and protection.

Using electricity is a human right!

Energy is very important and a public right for human life. Therefore, it cannot be dealt with in terms of any profit-loss account. The notion of central planning and operation cannot be ruled out just for the sake of allegations of "irrationality" or so.

The mentality that left 13 cities in darkness without electricity on 1 st of July in 2006 is still in action despoiling the public through the Regulation on Compensation and Reconciliation (DUY).

The "Electricity Power Sector Reform and Privatization Strategy Document" was prepared with the aim of opening electricity power usage to the free market and of privatizing electricity production and distribution in 2004. Turkey has been divided into twenty one distribution regions in line with this policy document. Moreover, in accordance with this document, twenty distribution companies attached to the Turkish Electricity Distribution Company (TEDAS) are now being sold out one by one. Among these regions, the ones in which there are Baskent EDAS ( Electricity Distribution Company), Sakarya EDAS ,Meram EDAS and Aras EDAS are again being offered to the private sector almost as a gift by putting them out to tender using the method of block sales. The privatization sales and the other sales have turned out to be a massive destruction. Credits on one hand public utilities on the other are being presented to the ruling party and its supporters while these profit groups also seek seizing leading media organs and channels one by one.

Privatization experiences and the "usual" results of privatization

While all privatizations experienced until today have caused insecurity in social conscience; it is also obvious that contracts along Build-Operate-Transfer or Build-Operate in natural gas supply, purchasing guarantee and transfer of operation rights have deeply damaged the national economy. As a matter of fact, some managers who acted with and implemented privatizations have been judged by Supreme Court. As these consequences are all known, it is impossible to hide the background of new privatizations from the public. Privatizations like AKTAS and Cukurova have shown how private sector would manage energy. There is no rationale for embarking on a new adventure, for privatizing public regional electricity distribution companies and for leaving production to private sector's greed for profit. Energy, access to which is a public right must be planned and managed through a public service approach.

In addition to these, losses of employees working in privatized electricity production plants in terms of economic, social and personal rights are so obvious that there is no need for any further inquiry. Given this, can anyone deny that harmony in the world of work has been destroyed? While the strike in Telekom experienced last year is still in minds; while lawsuits are brought against fixed fee applications, is it possible to insist that privatization will push prices down and give no harm to workers?

The principles of the Platform against Privatization

Platform Against Privatization (PAP-ÖKP) is determined to make attempts to defend public interest in the light of principles listed below:

- Constituents of the PAP have taken the decision to continue the struggle even in stronger terms against privatization initiatives that are based on resolving the structural crisis of the capital by appropriating enterprises which belong to public. The PAP without any reservation accepts that privatization policies are followed mainly for opening new areas of appropriation in the public sector to the capitalist class, which is in essence an assault against working people.

- PAP declares its determinedness to continue its struggle for the rights and interest of labour and democracy while drawing lessons from the past experience.

- PAP views the privatization process as an area of struggle against unemployment and the order of exploitation that is associated with low wages.

- PAP evaluates the Social Security and General Health Insurance Law (SSGSS) which was imposed on toiling masses and which intends to transfer resources allocated to health and social security to the capitalist class; the PAP considers this legislation too as another area of struggle.

- PAP struggles against practices such as subcontracting, removing union coverage, low wages, flexible employment etc.

- PAP defends the public management of resources. It rejects the argument that public enterprises by their very nature can but use backward technology and that they are doomed to inefficiency. The PAP understands the concept of "public" beyond the influence and penetration of political stances and lines and considers it as a transparent sphere collectively controlled by professional organizations, trade unions, consumer organizations and organized citizens.

- PAP considers all workers' and professional organizations and democracy forces which are against privatizations and privatization attempts as components of the struggle; accordingly, PAP informs wide masses of people on this basis by adopting legal methods.

- PAP is in solidarity with the victims of privatization in our country.

- PAP follows struggles against privatization at international level and seeks ways of standing in solidarity with them.

- PAP defends the return of entities and enterprises that were privatized earlier to public ownership and gives struggle for this.

Aware of the fact that the point is to change the world beyond interpreting it, we call on all workers, oppressed people, the poor, workers' and professional organizations who take sides with peace and a better environment to live in to join efforts geared to creating a just and better world where all inequalities and privileges on the basis of class, region or any other base shall be eliminated.

PLATFORM CONSTITUENTS

TES-IS Trade Union Of Energy Workers Turk-Is

Maden-Is Trade Union Of Mine Workers Turk-Is

Genel Maden Trade Union Of Mine Workers Turk-Is

Petrol-Is Trade Union Of Petroleum and Chemistry Workers Turk-Is

ESM- Trade Union Of Public Workers In Energy, Industry And Mining KESK

Dev-Maden-Sen Revolutionary Trade Union Of Energy Workers DISK

Chamber of Chemical Engineers TMMOB

Chamber of Electrical Engineers TMMOB

Chamber of Geology Engineers TMMOB

Chamber of Mechanical Engineers TMMOB

Chamber of Metallurgical Engineers TMMOB

Chamber of Mining Engineers TMMOB

Association Of Consumer Rights