Dear Cultural and Art Workers, Our Comrades in the Struggle

Dear Cultural and Art Workers, Our Comrades in the Struggle, Since 2019, we have proudly carried on our practical and legitimate struggle, which we launched under the banner of independent class-based unionism, shoulder to shoulder. While fighting for the rights and justice of labor, we have consistently stated and put into action our commitment to never stop until a modern, secular, and democratic legal order is established. Guided by these unwavering principles, we have grown year after year thanks to the face-to-face, solution-oriented communication we have established and our determination to identify and resolve issues on the ground. In a short time, we have secured representation in many symphony orchestras and workplaces within our field, reaching this point with honor. We have stubbornly resisted the 1% and 2% thresholds placed before us and emerged from this resistance stronger. Today, our efforts to enlighten the class-based movement and the people across the country—aimed at resolving our most pressing issues, such as inadequate wages, unreflected across-the-board raises, adjustment crises, and the severe injustices in tax brackets—continue unabated. However, at this critical juncture, we must further strengthen the robust foundation we have built independently, transform our union into a younger and more dynamic structure, professionalize our operations, and—most importantly—elevate our representational capacity to the highest level. The United Public Sector Workers’ Confederation (Birleşik Kamu-İş), one of the top three confederations with a seat at the collective bargaining table, has invited our union to join under its umbrella, recognizing the strength and representational capacity we possess in our sector. Based on our assessments, we recognize that joining forces with Birleşik Kamu-İş will make both us and the confederation much stronger in securing our rights.

Why Birleşik Kamu-İş? • Representation at the Negotiating Table: It is the third-largest confederation with the right to participate in collective bargaining under Law No. 4688. • Shared Principles: It is, like us, Atatürkist, populist, and public-sector oriented, and it uncompromisingly defends the free and autonomous class struggle. • The Same Shared Goal: It has set the right to a “Strike-Inclusive and Genuine Collective Bargaining Agreement” as its ultimate goal. • Growing and Dynamic Structure: Being a growing organization that involves young, dynamic workers in the struggle and includes unions from all 11 sectors within its ranks. • Sincere Solidarity: Concrete and sincere approaches to supporting our union’s actions, events, training, and organizational efforts. • Alignment of Bylaws and Vision: Sharing similar statutory characteristics with our union and embracing the vision of “growing through merger” with other unions in the same sector in the future.

We aim to strengthen national and international solidarity and, through the projects we carry out in the public sphere in our country, to share the potential derived from our technical and artistic expertise with all workers by standing shoulder to shoulder with all sectors of the confederation. To forge a professional and dynamic union struggle that blends quantitative and qualitative expertise; for a contemporary and fully independent union line that shares accurate information with workers and integrates technological advancements; FOR A UNION LAW THAT INCLUDES STRIKES AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING! As cultural and artistic workers, we are calling on you to support our struggle by joining the ranks of the United Public Sector Workers’ Confederation. Let’s fight together.