Office workers of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) launched a campaign against "flexible working hours" imposed on white-collar workers of TÜPRAŞ petroleum refinery. The refinery was recently ranked as the biggest industrial enterprise in Turkey. One of the largest corporations, Koç Group, owns the enterprise.
The statement published by the TKP said, "the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Koç Group are members of the same family, but not the workers! TKP calls Yapı Kredi [one of the largest banks in Turkey owned by Koç family] workers to struggle against Koç Group, which targets our working people with the help of AKP's obscurantism and the establishment it represents."
Last week, a memo about the new flexible working hours had been e-mailed to white-collar workers of the TÜPRAŞ. The memo described the change with the praising motto: "Your life meets your business!" A humiliating image of a white-collar worker doing a handstand covered the background, implying the "pros of flexible working" in a supposedly humorous style. With the new regulation, 40-hours working time increased fait accompli to 45-hours a week.
"In their dynasty of 90 years, Koç family masqueraded as Republican and secularist. Yet when deemed necessary, they became the most vigorous Ottomanists in search for profits, collaborating with the ruling Justice and Development Party", TKP said in the statement.
Highlighting the class allience between Islamist AKP and the so-called secularist bourgeoisie, TKP's statement said, "Koç family was declared 'heroes' when the doors of their Divan Hotel were opened to protestors during June Resistance in 2013. And they did not hesitate to praise Erdoğan's presidential system."
Koç Group has raised net profits of TÜPRAŞ by four times compared to the first-half of the previous year. Yapı Kredi bank followed by an 22 percent increase in profits. Both firms were purchased by joint ventures led by Koç Group in the last decade. The TÜPRAŞ, owned by the state until 2005, has been the biggest capital enterprise in Turkey. Following the decision to privatize, it was sold under price to Koç Group in 2006 by the AKP government of the time.
Despite close ties with Erdoğan's ruling party, Koç family molds a corporate image of secularist, progressive, and Republican characteristics, and at times criticizes AKP government.
Highlighting that struggling against the system of exploatiton has now become a necessity to "survive", TKP stated, "Koç family should know that our working people will neither be fooled by their pseudo opposition nor will submit to their anti-labour practices."
