Regional May 1 rally held in Batman

Tens of thousands of people attended the Workers’ Day rally held in Batman organized by DİSK (Confederation of Revolutionary Workers’ Unions), KESK (Confederation of Public Workers’ Unions), TMMOB (Union of Chambers of Turkish Architects and Engineers) and TTB (Turkish Medical Association).

KESK Diyarbakır Spokesperson Cemil Akar, member of the May 1 Regional Rally Coordination Committee, told BBC Turkish that they had chosen Batman as the site for the rally because it was a workers’ city.

Akar said, “As you know, Batman is the site of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) facilities. Last year, 800 workers at TPAO were facing the cancellation of their labour contracts. However, our collective efforts prevented this cancellation. Those workers have been working for minimum pay for the last year, and it is unclear what their status will be next year. So we decided as an act of solidarity to hold our May 1 regional rally in Batman”.

Cemil Akar added that they “found it important to hold a regional rally on May 1 to draw attention to the critical stage of the negotiation process” and said that their aim was to voice their reaction to subcontracting, workplace murders and all regulations against workers.