Greek construction workers salute resistance of workers in Istanbul’s third airport

Construction workers from Greece issued a message to be in solidarity with the workers struggling against the poor working conditions at the third airport in Istanbul where "occupational accidents" go on incessantly
Thursday, 27 September 2018 18:22

All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) and the Federation of Construction Workers of Greece issued a statement to be in solidarity with Istanbul’s third airport workers resisting against the violence and repression of the Turkish government.

In the statement titled "Ambulances are no longer using the sirens!," Greek workers underlined that "Workers know that the new airport, and the capitalist growth in general, in every country, is built with the sweat and blood of the workers."

"PAME and the National Federation of Construction Workers of Greece are steadily on the side of the workers in the construction of the new airport of Istanbul and in the future, we will take new initiatives to support their struggle," it was said in the statement.

Noting that the struggle and mass mobilization are the way to ensure the safety of workers’ lives, Greek workers also stated, "Strikes and interruptions of the work have already forced the Government of Turkey to postpone the grand opening it planned for October 29. It is also a result of the workers’ pressure for the miserable working conditions. It takes perseverance and determination in the struggle to satisfy our fair demands, improve working conditions and safety in the workplace."

Officially 35 workers have been killed due to occupational homicides at the construction site of Istanbul’s third airport and several occupational 'accidents' still continuously occur.

Ambulances at the airport’s construction site are no longer using their sirens in order to conceal the government’s negligence against workers.

Due to the fear of workers’ protests, the ambulances at the construction site did not use their sirens after a new occupational 'accident' that happened yesterday, on September 25.

After a new accident involving 17 injured workers on September 12, the new airport in Istanbul became the scene of major mobilizations that began to resist against poor working conditions as well as the violence and repression by the Turkish government and contractors with hundreds of arrests of workers.

Hundreds of workers from the third airport in Istanbul had gathered last week to protest and struggle against inhuman working and housing conditions. 405 workers had been detained after the protests, while the Turkish government arrested 24 of them on September 19.