Over the summer I was lucky to meet up and talk to two young comrades from the SWP’s sister organisation in Turkey antikapitalist. The comrades have been involved in building a Turkish students' union that can challenge the neo-liberal assault on education in Turkey and join organisations like NUS fighting the same battles across Europe. NUS have now made contact with the union and sent messages of support in the union’s campaign against the government for its right to exist.

The background

GENC-SEN, Turkey’s first and only students’ union was founded in December 2007 to defend students and fight for their demands on a national level. Starting as a small concern GENC-SEN has grown to over 1500 members and 27 university and college branches with backing from a national trade union federation. GENC- SEN branches have run a range of progressive campaigns that would be familiar to many student activists and officers in Britain.

However since its foundation their branches were targeted by the government one by one. Branch meetings were unlawfully barred, posters and leaflets confiscated. Some state officials have arbitrarily declared some branches “illegal”. Now such attacks have become nation with the Governorship of Istanbul on behalf of the ministry of the interior taking a court case against the union. They are claiming that the “Trade Union Act no.2821 does not provide for the freedom of association for students.” The case has been pushed back to the 27th of July and may continue for some time.

Show your support

NUS have sent messages of protest and support as well as raising the matter with members of the government. Our Turkish comrades have asked for unions and activists to fax messages of protest to:

Ministry of Interior, Fax: 0090 3124181795

Governorship of Istanbul, fax: +90 212 512 20 86

Messages of solidarity should be sent to: gencsen@disk.org.tr

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