Capitalism, which is dominant all over the world in our times, causes the vast majority of humanity to live in poverty, wars and oppression, dragging humanity and nature, of which humanity is a part of, into irreversible disasters. This system must come to an end. But it is clear that this will not happen by itself and that the capitalist class, having a vested interest in the continuation of capitalism, will not voluntarily give up its power. This system must be overthrown by a social revolution. This is only possible through the uprising of the workers, whose labour power is exploited by the capitalists, despite the fact that they constitute the majority of humanity and dominate the entire production process.
We live the conflict between the capitalist class and the working class, of which we are a part, every moment in our workplaces. Regardless of whether we work in a factory, in a construction site, in a bar, in a supermarket, in a plaza, in a government office, on the street or at home, whether we are educated or not, whether we are locals or immigrants, whether we have different cultures, beliefs, thoughts, national identities, genders, sexual orientations, this does not change the fact that we have to sell our labour in order to survive, that is, that we are exploited. We as workers make up the majority of society and we are the ones who keep everything running, but in conditions where we are not organised, the conflict between us and the capitalists continues in their favour. We feel weak and helpless as our living and working conditions worsen and state control and repression grows, and we will continue to feel this way unless we come together. For this reason, we must first come together and struggle in the workplaces, which are the heart of capitalism and where we spend most of our lives. Of course, in some lines of work it will not be possible or sufficient to organise only in individual workplaces due to reasons such as the small number of people working in the workplaces, the prevalence of flexible working forms, the temporary nature of the work or the high circulation of workers. Therefore, we will need to form sectoral or regional organisations in some lines of work. On the other hand, in order to organise in the workplaces, it is important to establish relations and solidarity with our colleagues in different areas of life, and ultimately our struggle and organisation must have a quality that encompasses all areas of life. While it is a necessity to find and create forms of organisation appropriate to our aims according to the specificities of the sector we work in, the critical position of workplaces for capitalism also makes them crucial for our organisation.
The ruling class is and will continue to increase exploitation, oppression and violence by taking advantage of the balance of power in its favour. In order to defend our current conditions and improve our living standards, we need to change the power relations between the classes in favour of the workers. The main aim of our struggle in the workplaces is to weaken the power of bosses arising from their ownership of the means of production and to shift the balance of power in our favour. To do this, we need to act at every stage of organising with the aim of putting the decision-making processes in the workplaces under the control of the workers. We cannot achieve this alone. This is something that can only be achieved collectively by the working class that we are part of, and it can only be achieved through the formation of informal, independent associations that produce policies in the workplaces, and through direct action erode – and ultimately abolish – the power of the capitalists. These can sometimes be temporary associations that are needed for a fast emerging struggle, and sometimes more steady organisations. The important thing is that they are directly based on the will of the workers in those workplaces and respond to their needs.
We know that parliaments and all kinds of legislative bodies have no other function than to legitimise a system based on injustice, exploitation and domination, that our problems cannot be solved through parliamentary channels and that relying on these bodies is detrimental to our struggle. However, this does not mean that we reject politics. On the contrary, we think that for the working class, the workplaces are the most important grounds for policy-making and struggle on all kinds of problems we face, from the simplest to the most complex.
Our struggle in the workplaces cannot be limited to economic demands. The distinction between economics and politics is an illusion artificially created by the ruling class; all our lives and especially what we go through in the workplace is an extension of politics. Discrimination based on our national identity, whether we are local or immigrant, our faith, our gender, our sexual orientation/preferences, etc. not only affects all our lives but also damages our unity in the workplace. For this reason, we must also produce policies and struggle against all forms of discrimination in the workplace. In conditions where capitalism is irreversibly plundering nature and the consequences of the climate crisis directly affect our lives, the struggle for ecology must also be considered as part of our politics in the workplace. Ultimately, in times of rising social movements, we will only have a chance for victory to the extent of our strong ties and political influence in the workplaces.
The struggle of the working class is not bound by a nation or national borders. We know that nationalism artificially divides workers and undermines our unity and struggle. As we struggle in the workplaces, we must also fight nationalism, the greatest ideological enemy that destroys our unity, and the control mechanisms of the state and corporations that gradually take more and more control of our lives. Therefore, we see it as our duty to fight against the venom of nationalism, and we recognise the strengthening of internationalist solidarity as one of our primary goals.
We know that, at best, membership in official unions, which bargain with bosses in the name of workers for economic demands and are in fact often nothing more than a burden on the backs of workers, is useless on its own, and that relying on unions often brings more harm than good. Real struggles in the workplace are only possible through the active participation of workers in all processes and overcoming the control of the official unions. Historical and current examples show that more successful results are achieved when workers directly discuss and act on their own needs and strategies in the workplace.
In all areas of social struggle, we advocate that there should be no institutionalisation of hierarchy, that direct democratic mechanisms should prevail and that everyone who are the subjects of struggles should have the right to equal participation in all processes. We see it as our duty not only to take decisions based on these principles within ourselves, but also to explain this understanding in every field we are in and to work for the emergence of appropriate organisations.
However, it is necessary but not sufficient for the organisations in the workplaces to be directly democratic and bottom-up. They must also have the quality to try to improve the balance of power in the workplaces in favour of the workers by acting together in a conscious and planned manner, within the integrity of economic and political struggle.
To reach these goals, there is a need for a political and militant workers’ organisation aimed at overthrowing capitalism and achieving the final emancipation of the working class. The Workers‘ Associations have emerged with the aim of spreading these ideas, supporting the formation and maintenance of independent associations on the basis of workplaces, regions and professions according to the specificities of the lines of work, ensuring solidarity and coordination among these associations, and creating channels of communication and solidarity with the workers’ movement at the international level.
