Turkey: Workers protest NATO, demand budget for labor over war

Workers in Gebze, Turkey, rallied against NATO, calling for a shift in national priorities from military spending to supporting laborers. The demonstration, organized by the Gebze Unions Association, saw participants chanting slogans like "NATO get out," "Budget for workers, not for war," and "Justice in taxation."

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NATO, for us workers, means destruction, war, blood, and tears.

Union representatives and political figures, including Emek Party Istanbul Deputy İskender Bayhan and members of the DEM Party, Emek Party, Sol Parti, and DİP, voiced their solidarity. Necmettin Aydın, spokesperson for the Gebze Unions Association and chair of United Metal-İş Gebze Branch No. 2, read a statement expressing deep concern over the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara. He characterized NATO not as a defense organization but as a U.S.-led imperialist war machine, arguing that discussions on global conflicts, arms races, and interventions would yield no positive outcomes for the world's oppressed peoples and workers.

Aydın criticized NATO's history, citing its role in numerous wars and conflicts that have led to millions of deaths and displacements. He pointed to the current situation in Gaza as a recent example of the organization's destructive impact. The statement also addressed the escalating global arms race, noting NATO members' decision to increase defense spending to 5% of their national budgets. This surge in military expenditure, Aydın argued, diverts crucial resources from welfare, education, and healthcare, while arms companies profit and workers face declining living standards.

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NATO is not a defense organization but a U.S.-led imperialist war organization.

The protest specifically addressed the situation in Turkey, where increasing funds are allocated to security and armament at the expense of education, health, and social services. Workers are reportedly living on wages barely above the poverty line, with the minimum wage becoming the de facto standard for many. The demonstrators demanded a more equitable distribution of national resources, prioritizing the well-being of laborers over military investments.

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The minimum wage is no longer an exception but has become the general wage.