The Condi ion o he Wo king Class in Tu key
‘The mos o ma i e wo k in decades on he Tu kish poli ical economy and he
de as a ion w ough by an au ho i a ian go e nmen on he coun y’s wo ke s. I
highly ecommend his book o all hose who seek o unde s and he eme gence o
widesp ead esis ance by an inc easingly mili an wo king class in Tu key.’
—Immanuel Ness, P o esso o Poli ical Science a B ooklyn College
o he Ci y Uni e si y o New Yo k and au ho o O ganizing Insu gency
‘A deep and imely analysis wi h an o e a ching na a i e o he Tu kish labou
ma ke s unde he condi ionali ies o la e capi alism [...] An indispensable esou ce
on he economics o labou .’
—A. E inç Yeldan, P o esso o Economics a Kadi Has Uni e si y
‘Imp essi ely comp ehensi e [...] The con ibu ions no only co e he sphe e o
p oduc ion, bu equally social ep oduc ion including he impo ance o unpaid
labou in pa ia chal capi alis s uc u es, as well as mig a ion as a sou ce o cheap
labou . A mus - ead o e e yone in e es ed in he ole o Tu kish labou in he
c isis- idden 21s cen u y.’
—And eas Biele , P o esso o Poli ical Economy, Uni e si y o No ingham
‘This excellen book is ema kable o i s cou ageous and insigh ul analysis.
Agains he g ain o he con empo a y nea silence abou he s uggles o socie y’s
su plus alue p oduce s who make a li ing in mise able condi ions, his olume
a icula es he su e ing in lic ed and b ings o he o e he collec i e o ms o
esis ance o ha su e ing.’
—P o esso We ne Bone eld, Uni e si y o Yo k
The Condi ion o he
Wo king Class in Tu key
Labou Unde Neolibe al
Au ho i a ianism
Edi ed by
Ça!a ay Edgücan Şahin and Mehme E man E ol
Fi s published 202% by Plu o P ess
New Wing, Some se House, S and, London WC2R %LA
www.plu obooks.com
Copy igh © Ça!a ay Edgücan Şahin and Mehme E man E ol 202%
The igh o he indi idual con ibu o s o be iden i ied as he au ho s o his wo k
has been asse ed in acco dance wi h he Copy igh , Designs and Pa en s Ac %&88.
B i ish Lib a y Ca aloguing in Publica ion Da a
A ca alogue eco d o his book is a ailable om he B i ish Lib a y
ISBN &(8 0 ()*+ )+%2 & Ha dback
ISBN &(8 0 ()*+ )+%% 2 Pape back
ISBN &(8 0 ()*+ )+%* 0 PDF
ISBN &(8 0 ()*+ )+%+ , EPUB
Typese by S an o d DTP Se ices, No hamp on, England
Con en s
Lis o Abb e ia ions ii
Acknowledgemen s ix
In oduc ion %
Mehme E man E ol and Ça!a ay Edgücan Şahin
PART I: RESTRUCTURING
Neolibe al Res uc u ing o Labou and he S a e:
F om Mili a y Dic a o ship o he AKP E a
%. No -So-S ange Bed ellows: Neolibe alism and he AKP in
Tu key %*
Mehme E man E ol
2. Tu key’s Labou Ma ke s Unde Neolibe alism:
An O e iew +8
Ke em Gök en
+. Commodi ica ion and Changing Labou in Tu key:
The Wo king Class in he Public Sec o **
Ko ay R. Yılmaz
). Neolibe al T ans o ma ion o Tu key’s Heal h Sec o and
i s E ec s on he Heal h Labou Fo ce (*
Sebiha Kablay
Gende , Mig a ion and Ru al Aspec s
o Neolibe al Res uc u ing
*. Be ween Neolibe alism and Conse a ism: Recen
De elopmen s and New Agendas in Female Labou
Policies in Tu key &&
Deme Özmen Yılmaz
The Condi ion o he Wo king Class in Tu key
i
,. The Making o he Ru al P ole a ia in Neolibe al Tu key %%,
Coşku Çelik
(. Bu den o a Sa iou a a Time o Economic C isis? AKP’s
‘Open-Doo Mig a ion Policy’ and i s Impac on Labou
Ma ke Res uc u ing in Tu key %+*
E an E ol
PART II: CONTAINMENT
8. Social Assis ance as a Non-Wage Income o he Poo in
Tu key: Wo k and Subsis ence Pa e ns o Social Assis ance
Recipien Households %**
Denizcan Ku lu
&. A View o P eca isa ion om Tu key: U ban-Ru al
Dynamics and In e gene a ional P eca i y %(8
Eli Hacısaliho!lu
%0. When he Law is No Enough: ‘Wo k Acciden s’, P o i
Maximisa ion and he Unw i en Rules o Wo ke s’ Heal h
and Sa e y in New Tu key 200
Mu a Öz e i
%%. A e We All in he Same Boa ? Co id-%& and he Wo king
Class in Tu key 222
Yeliz Sa ıöz Gök en
PART III: RESISTANCE
%2. Reconside ing Wo ke s’ Sel -Managemen in Tu key:
F om Resis ance o Wo ke s’ Sel -Managemen Possibili ies/
Cons ain s 2)+
Be na Güle and E han Aca
%+. O ganised Wo ke s’ S uggles Unde Neolibe alism:
Unions, Capi al and he S a e in Tu key 2,2
Ça!a ay Edgücan Şahin
No es 28+
Con ibu o s 2&2
Index 2&*
1
In oduc ion
Mehme E man E ol and
Ça!a ay Edgücan Şahin
Bu he bou geoisie de ends i s in e es s wi h all he powe placed
a i s disposal by weal h and he migh o he S a e. (F ied ich
Engels, The Condi ion o he Wo king Class in England)
In he a e ma h o he Soma mining disas e in Tu key whe e
+0% wo ke s died in 20%), he hen Tu kish P ime Minis e Recep
Tayyip E do!an ci ed nine een h-cen u y B i ain o p o e ha hese
acciden s a e ‘usual’. ‘I wen back o B i ish his o y’ he said, ‘some
20) people died he e a e a mine collapsed in %8+8. In %8,,, +,%
mine s died in B i ain. In an explosion in %8&), 2&0 people died
he e’ (Hu iye Daily News, 20%)). These anach onis ic commen s
we e shocking; bu he compa ison wi h he ‘sa age capi alism’ o
nine een h-cen u y B i ain also exposed he modus ope andi o
Tu kish capi alism in he wen y- i s cen u y.
This ‘sa age capi alism’ o nine een h-cen u y B i ain was mos
amously analysed by F ied ich Engels in The Condi ion o he
Wo king Class in England, o iginally published in %8)*. Ha ing been
comple ed on he 200 h anni e sa y o Engels’ bi h, and in he
con ex o P esiden E do!an’s commen s, his book p ojec akes
i s inspi a ion om Engels, and speci ically his abo e-men ioned
wo k, as he i le o his book sugges s. W i en in he heyday o he
indus ial e olu ion, young Engels’ imp essi e s udy and his docu-
men a ion o he condi ion o he English wo king class e lec ed he
b u al exploi a ion o labou in Vic o ian England. He was appalled
by widesp ead child labou , low wages, mise able condi ions, poo
heal h, dea h a es and en i onmen al des uc ion, as well as he
English bou geoisie.
The Condi ion o he Wo king Class in Tu key
2
Looking a he condi ion o he wo king class in Tu key in he
wen y- i s cen u y, we sha e a simila sen imen , which led us o
edi his olume. We wan ed o documen and analyse he condi ion
o he wo king class in Tu key in he wen y- i s cen u y, as we
a e appalled by widesp ead ‘wo k mu de s’, low wages, mise able
condi ions, widesp ead p eca i y and insecu i y, commodi ica ion,
ex ac i ism, sys ema ic iola ion o labou igh s, and p ac ices o
gende ed di ision o labou . The de elopmen s since he Co id-%&
pandemic ha e so a p o en ha his condi ion will be wo sened as
he pandemic is seen as an economic ‘oppo uni y’ by he capi alis s
and he s a e; and ha Tu key could seek o ‘capi alise on a possible
shake-up o global supply chains’ (Pi el, 2020) h ough i s cheap
labou .
Tu key’s poli ical economy since he wen ie h cen u y has ne e
been uly p o-labou , as he coun y emb aced capi alis de el-
opmen which elied on he exploi a ion o labou . Howe e , as
capi alism de eloped, so did class s uggle. The labou mo emen
in ensi ied i s s uggle agains he bou geoisie and he capi alis s a e
du ing he %&,0s and %&(0s. This pe iod was also ma ked by impo -
subs i u ion indus ialisa ion and de elopmen planning which
en ailed ce ain imp o emen s on he condi ion o labou . Howe e ,
his condi ion unse led Tu kish capi alis s and he s a e; and hei
esponse was he ansi ion o neolibe alism in %&80 ia a b u al
mili a y coup which aimed o ‘pu an end o class-based poli ics’
(Yalman, 200&). Hence, he las ou decades which we e ma ked by
neolibe alism disman led he gains o labou and pa ed he way o
he abo e-men ioned condi ion o he wo king class in Tu key in he
wen y- i s cen u y. Agains his backg ound, he aim o his olume
is o make sense o )0 yea s o neolibe al es uc u ing o labou ;
wi h an ex ensi e amewo k ha deals wi h a ious aspec s o his
es uc u ing.
A signi ican pa o his neolibe al es uc u ing o labou was
ca ied ou unde he AKP (Adale e Kalkınma Pa isi – Jus ice and
De elopmen Pa y), in powe since 2002. Much like he con em-
po a y ‘au ho i a ian populis ’ pa ies and ‘s ongman’ leade s ha
bene i ed om he discon en ollowing he 2008 global inancial
c isis; Tu key’s AKP and i s leade E do!an capi alised on he
In oduc ion
3
discon en and he legi imacy c isis ha was caused by he coun y’s
‘los decade’ o he %&&0s and he in amous 200% c isis (Mad a &
Yılmaz, 20%&). Howe e , like mos o hese leade s and pa ies, he
AKP decisi ely implemen ed he neolibe al amewo k in he las
wo decades.
In con en ional analyses which dismiss he signi icance o class
ela ions, he AKP pe iod is gene ally assessed in e ms o a up u e
om he ea lie pe iods o Tu key’s poli ical economy. Some o he
accoun s also make a dis inc ion wi hin he AKP e a; i.e. he ‘good
AKP yea s’ (2002–0( o p e-20%%) and he la e ‘au ho i a ian
u n’, ‘democ a ic backsliding’ and ‘bad economic managemen ’
(c . E ol, 20%&; c . Tansel, 20%8). Howe e , we con end ha , as a
as he es uc u ing and managemen o labou is conside ed, he e
has been a di ec con inui y wi h ea lie pe iods (since he %&80s)
in e ms o neolibe al au ho i a ianism, a emp s a labou ma ke
lexibilisa ion, deunionisa ion, insecu i y, p eca i y, p i a isa ion,
commodi ica ion, inancialisa ion and es uc u ing in many sec o s.
Hence, while ecognising he pecula i ies o he condi ion o Tu key’s
wo king class unde AKP ule, he aim o his olume is o make sense
o )0 yea s o neolibe al es uc u ing o labou in i s o ali y and
con inui y. I is impo an o emphasise, howe e , ha he AKP go -
e nmen s managed o be mo e decisi e and o e come he legi imacy
issues ha p e ious go e nmen s aced, h ough a ious con ainmen
mechanisms and populis cushions (Akçay, 20%8) such as inancial
‘inclusion’, neolibe al social assis ance s a egies o iden i y-based
poli ics, as well as p omo ing p o-go e nmen unionisa ion.
Ne e heless, in ecen yea s, Tu key’s poli ical economy unde
he AKP has become c isis- idden and his ‘success ul’ managemen
o con adic o y capi alis social ela ions became inc easingly
di icul . Concomi an ly, his was complemen ed by an unp ec-
eden ed au ho i a ianism beyond he al eady au ho i a ian poli ical
economy o Tu key. This a guably e lec s he weakening hegemony
o he AKP (as seen in local elec ions in 20%& and equen ‘cu ency
c ises’) and he ensions be ween he uling classes and he AKP.
Agains he backg ound o his c isis- idden condi ion and E do!an’s
au ho i a ian-Islamis ‘one-man ule’, he e a e calls o a e u n o
he ‘good AKP yea s’ (i.e. 2002–0() o he pos -200% ule-based
The Condi ion o he Wo king Class in Tu key
10
such as union-poli ical pa y ela ionships, employe s’ union bus ing
s a egies and go e nmen ’s s a egy o pos ponemen o s ikes wi h
he aim o achie ing deunionisa ion. Hence, he chap e analyses he
ela ionships be ween he s a e and he unions, capi al and he unions
and inally he wo king class and he unions mos ly based on majo
wo ke mo emen s and ac ions in he neolibe al e a.
Con en ional (and pa ly c i ical) app oaches o Tu key’s poli ical
economy gene ally ocus on popula dicho omies o democ acy and
au ho i a ianism, secula ism and Islamism, and s a e and ma ke .
As demons a ed in he s uc u e o he book, howe e , his olume
o e s a e y di e en pe spec i e. I has a di ec and comp ehensi e
ocus on he ‘condi ion o he wo king class’ in Tu key in he las ou
decades o neolibe alism; om he mili a y dic a o ship o he %&80s
o he AKP yea s. I cen alises and p io i ises he ca ego y o labou
and class s uggle. In his con ex , he con ibu o s o his olume
o e a wide a ay o subjec s pe inen o he ‘condi ion o labou ’
in Tu key; om gende dynamics o e ugee wo ke s, om ag a ian
labou ela ions o wo ke s’ heal h and sa e y, om he poli ics o
labou es uc u ing o ac o y occupa ions, and om p eca i y o
o ganised labou . This b ead h o co e age and igo ous empi ical
analysis a e p o ided by esea che s whose wo k has long ocused
on he issue o labou in Tu key. Wi hin his amewo k and beyond
he popula dicho omies, his book enables a ull g asp o he poli -
ical economy o Tu key; a ising egional capi alis powe , and a
coun y consis en ly lis ed in he en wo s coun ies in he wo ld o
wo king8people.
6:6;:3g/=p5?
Akçay, Ü. (20%8) ‘Neolibe al Populism in Tu key and I s C isis’, Wo king
Pape No. %00/20%8, Ins i u e o In e na ional Poli ical Economy Be lin,
www.econs o .eu/bi s eam/%0)%&/%(*88)/%/%0%*,&%8%%.pd (accessed
July 2020).
Bu nham, P., Lu z, K.G., G an , W. and Lay on-Hen y, Z. (2008) Resea ch
Me hods in Poli ics, 2nd edn, London: Red Globe P ess.
Engels, F. (2008) [%8)*] The Condi ion o he Wo king-Class in England in
1&44, ans. F. Kelley-Wischnewe zky, New Yo k: Cosimo Classics.
In oduc ion
11
E ol, M.E. (20%&) ‘S a e and Labou unde AKP Rule in Tu key: An App aisal’,
Jou nal o Balkan and Nea Eas e n S udies, 2% (,), ,,+–((.
Hu iye Daily News (20%)) ‘Tu kish PM Ci es %& h Cen u y B i ain o P o e
Mine Acciden s a e “Typical”’, www.hu iye dailynews.com/ u kish-pm-
ci es-%& h-cen u y-b i ain- o-p o e-mine-acciden s-a e- ypical-,,)(2
(accessed July 2020).
Mad a, Y. and Yılmaz, S. (20%&) ‘Tu key’s Decline in o (Ci il) Wa Economy:
F om Neolibe al Populism o Co po a e Na ionalism’, Sou h A lan ic
Qua e ly, %%8 (%), )%–*&.
Pi el, L. (2020) ‘Tu key’s Logis ic P o ide s Adjus o he S ains o
Co id-%&’, Financial Times, Special Repo : Co ona i us and Logis ic’,
www. .com/con en /2)db)*c0-&+&+-%%ea-8&&a- ,2a20d*),2* (accessed
Augus 2020).
Tansel, C.B. (20%8) ‘Au ho i a ian Neolibe alism and Democ a ic Backslid-
ing in Tu key: Beyond he Na a i es o P og ess’, Sou h Eu opean Socie y
and Poli ics, 2+ (2), %&(–2%(.
Yalman, G. (200&) T ansi ion o Neolibe alism: The Case o Tu key in he
1%&(s, İs anbul: İs anbul Bilgi Uni e si y P ess.
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