BİRTEK-SEN Report Reveals the Crisis in the Textile Sector

Ankara - The United Textile, Weaving and Leather Workers Union (BİRTEK-SEN) has published a 17-page comprehensive report revealing the true face of the economic crisis in the Turkish textile industry and its devastating effects on workers. The union drew attention to the gravity of the situation, stating that contrary to the picture painted by the bosses and the unions close to them, the bill for the contraction in the sector was heavily billed to the workers.

BİRTEK-SEN's meticulously prepared report includes the results of in-depth interviews with hundreds of textile workers from eight different provinces in Turkey and data compiled from various reliable sources. The main argument of the report is clear: "The situation in the textile industry is not at all what the bosses and pro-boss unions tell us. The real heavy price of the recession is again being paid by workers."

Employment Loss in Textiles Deepens, Bosses Grow with Incentives

The BİRTEK-SEN report reveals that in textiles, one of the sectors most deeply affected by the economic crisis, the price is largely borne by the workers. Although there are approximately 1 million 109 thousand registered workers in the sector, the prevalence of unregistered work and the fact that the number of unionized workers is only 93 thousand reveals the dimensions of deunionization and precariousness. According to the report, while the number of registered workers in the textile sector has been declining for the last three years, bosses try to explain this situation on the grounds of "labor cost". However, the loss of 110 thousand jobs in the sector in the last year makes textile the sector with the highest employment decline.

Is the region becoming "Turkey's Bangladesh"

Another issue that was particularly noted in the report was the shift in the concentration of the textile sector to the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions. BİRTEK-SEN listed the reasons behind this shift as cheap labor, state subsidies, lack of supervision and opportunities such as a dense unemployed population. The union has warned that the current government aims to turn these regions into the "Bangladesh of Turkey."

BİRTEK-SEN's report reveals that the data shows that the situation for workers is quite dire, but for the bosses, the situation is not as bad as described. The report emphasized how the bosses are enriched with state incentives, while the workers are driven into misery, with the statements "Textile bosses, who see the region as a source of cheap labor, turn it into hell for workers and heaven for themselves with the super incentives they receive from the state."

Are Egyptian Investments a Bargaining Tool?

The real reason why textile bosses claiming to be in an economic downturn have recently turned their attention to Egypt is to negotiate new incentives with the state. The report stated that the Egyptian investments in the sector and the resulting "contraction" were used as a means of pressure on workers and were also used as an element of incentive bargaining with the state. One of the important findings of the report was that while the bosses minimized their costs with the huge incentives they received, they imposed "sacrifice to prevent the factory from closing" on the workers.

Exports Rise as the Number of Workers Falls: Paradox or Exploitation?

The striking data in the report reveals that exports have increased while the number of workers has decreased. In January 2024, employment in the region was 229 thousand, while it decreased to 222 thousand as of June this year. BİRTEK-SEN said, "While there were intense layoffs, the number of workers in the textile industry decreased, especially in provinces such as Antep, Urfa and Malatya, while exports increased. Bosses produced more with fewer workers," he said, emphasizing that the layoffs were aimed at cost-cutting and profit maximization rather than a decrease in production.

For example, in Antep, 201 workplaces closed down in the last year, yet the city's export revenues increased by $55.3 billion. It was underlined that similar scenes are seen in other cities in the region, and that the bosses, who have been virtually blessed with tax incentives and huge resources transferred from the public sector, even covet the Unemployment Fund and similar resources of workers.

Syndicate Bureaucracy and Solution Proposals: "The Solution lies in the Organized Struggle of Workers"

The report also criticized that the excuses of the union bureaucracy and bosses impose misery on workers and that the current union structure cannot adequately defend the rights of workers. BİRTEK-SEN also listed its solution proposals against this situation and emphasized that the most fundamental solution is "in the organized struggle of workers."

The union made a strong call to the textile workers: "By claiming their right to union organization, textile workers must unite their destiny with the working class of Turkey, which is mobilizing in the petro-chemical, public, health, municipal and metal industries; kick out the union bosses; and improve the working and living conditions that have been turned into hell by the bosses and their representatives." This call made it clear that workers must unite and fight for self-determination and better working conditions.

Source: birgun.net