Long live 1 May the International Workers' Day!

Today is May 1st. It is a day of labor, hard work, solidarity, equality, and justice. Today is the day of those who produce, of those who bear the invisible burden.

As workers in the fields of culture and the arts, we know that a country’s stages, curtains, orchestras, museums, workshops, and libraries thrive only through labor. It is not those in positions of authority who sustain cultural institutions, but the thousands of public workers—both visible and invisible—who labor on and behind the scenes. Yet today, all workers in the culture and arts sector who pour their sweat into their work face low wages, lack of permanent positions, job insecurity, unmerited appointments, arbitrary practices, and unfair treatment. Today, this contradiction is even more apparent: On one side, miners who have gone on hunger strikes because they haven’t been paid for months, walking for miles to demand their rights; on the other, appointed officials embarking on weeks-long overseas trips funded by the state budget… Those who, by declaring “The Tulip Era is over,” have set their sights on the artist’s labor and income, have clearly revealed who is actually living in a “Tulip Era” today. While no funds can be found for the worker’s wages, stage production, and infrastructure; it is evident that the same sensitivity is not shown regarding the expenditures of officials. The fact that those who claim “there are no funds” when it comes to workers’ wages show no bounds when the subject is managerial expenditures is the starkest manifestation of the inequality we face today. On one side, workers demanding “we want the reward for our sweat”; on the other, a mindset that treats the public budget as a personal piggy bank… This picture is not merely an injustice; it is also a matter of governance choice. It clearly reveals from whom resources are withheld and to whom they are generously provided. On the other hand, on a day when the sense of national sovereignty—one of the Republic’s core values—is meant to be strengthened through art, while all institutions were holding April 23 events, children’s concerts by orchestras were canceled without any explanation. Yet on such a day, which symbolizes faith in this country’s future, the duty of the state’s cultural institutions is not to retreat into silence, but to step forward with stronger, more inclusive events that enhance national consciousness. Silencing the orchestras is not merely a devaluation of the artists’ labor; it is also a postponement of children’s right to access art. This is not merely an administrative decision; it is a violation of public responsibility. One of the key issues that must be questioned in light of all these developments is the silence of the yellow unions. Trade unionism is the organization of workers to protect and advance their common economic, social, and professional rights. A union is independent of the employer, autonomous from the government, and accountable only to its members. A union is a form of organization that objects when necessary, fights when necessary, and pays the price when necessary. Amid all these injustices, the silence of groups calling themselves unions has served as a litmus test, revealing the true nature of the labor movement. The silence of these organizations—which remain silent in the face of current issues in the cultural and arts sector, saying not a word against concert cancellations, the controversial use of public funds, and the erosion of workers’ rights—is no coincidence. The same silence emerges when it comes to miners who cannot receive their wages. This silence is a choice not in favor of labor, but in favor of power. If the union remains silent, the worker is left alone! If the union does not speak out, injustice grows! If the union does not fight, rights are eroded!

That is why on May 1, we are not only highlighting the problems but also reaffirming the principle: A silent union is no union at all!

We are once again clearly declaring our demands: Without producing art, the wages of all cultural and artistic workers must be raised to a level that ensures a decent standard of living; wages, travel allowances, bonuses, and all other benefits must be paid on time and in full. Appointments of managers in cultural and artistic institutions must be based on merit; these institutions should belong to the people and the workers, not to the managers! Unsecure and discriminatory employment models such as the 4B system must be immediately abolished. During national holidays, cultural institutions must fully fulfill their public responsibilities. Institutional budgets must be transparently audited, and expenditures must be disclosed to the public. Pressure on union rights and obstacles to organizing must be ended. Children’s and young people’s access to the arts must be protected as a fundamental public service.

May 1st is not merely a memory of past struggles, but the resistance of today and the hope of tomorrow!

We, the cultural workers—on stage, in the orchestra, in the workshop, backstage, in the warehouse, in the office, and in the squares—speak with one voice:

Where there is no labor, no worker, there is no art! If there are resources, they must be for labor, not for privilege! A silent union stands with power, not with the worker! Organized labor is invincible. Long live May 1st! Long live labor, solidarity, and our struggle!

Cultural Workers’ Union