“Fully independent, democratic class-based trade unionism.”

Dear Members of the Press and Valued Comrades in Our Struggle,

Today, we are here to open a new and powerful chapter in the struggle of cultural workers—those who carry the weight of Turkey’s cultural and artistic life on their shoulders and who pour their sweat into every field, from theaters to operas, and from symphony orchestras to libraries. As we embarked on this journey, we adopted a single guiding principle: “Fully independent, democratic class-based unionism.” We organized with an independent will to generate direct solutions to the unique, chronic problems of the culture and arts sector and to ensure that the sector’s distinctive voice is heard loud and clear, without being overshadowed by any prevailing political winds. By establishing a direct representation mechanism from the grassroots to the top, we have proudly championed the rights of workers in music, theater, libraries, and museums. However, we all know that in Turkey, public-sector unionism is being squeezed into a narrow space by existing laws, thresholds, and bureaucratic obstacles. Our understanding of independence could not mean retreating to the sidelines and becoming ineffective, nor could it mean turning a blind eye to the disregard of cultural workers at collective bargaining tables. Our duty is not merely to defend our members’ rights at the local level, but to defend them with the utmost strength at the collective bargaining tables and in the field. Faced with precisely these legal and strategic imperatives, we demonstrated our resolve to “become a genuine actor by preserving our unique identity and red lines,” rather than “remaining on paper and becoming ineffective.” Today, the fundamental driving force behind our joining the United Public Sector Workers’ Confederation is a complete alignment of principles. As a union, the United Public Sector Workers’ Confederation clearly positions itself as “committed to the principles of Atatürk and the achievements of the Republic, and grounded in labor and class struggle.” This strong and resolute structure is in perfect harmony with the principles we have steadfastly upheld since our founding. Existing under this umbrella—yet with an autonomous will—provides our members with a highly balanced foundation where we can both fully preserve our professional independence and feel a strong sense of belonging at the national and public levels. Our belief that our professional issues will never be overshadowed by any political agenda is the strongest foundation of this integration. It is a move to provide cultural and artistic workers with a strong legal shield, the opportunity for broad organization across Turkey, and, most importantly, a louder voice at the tables where rights are sought. We, the workers, do not accept the passive, ineffective form of the Public Employees’ Trade Unions Law No. 4688. By taking our struggle to the next level, we have decided to continue our efforts within the United Public Sector Workers’ Confederation (Birleşik Kamu-İş) without compromising our principles or our commitment to independent class-based unionism. To bring the demands of cultural workers to the collective bargaining tables and into the streets, we will raise our voices even louder alongside the United Public Workers family, a larger organized force. Believing that this unity will serve as a cornerstone for the struggle for trade union rights, democracy, and the pursuit of justice, we invite cultural workers to join our union.

Cultural Workers’ Union Executive Board