Turk unions vow to take action for May Day abuse

Labor Unions Confederation (DISK) Chairman Suleyman Celebi, the Confederation of Public Sector Unions (KESK) Chairman Ismail Hakki Tombul and the Turkish Confederation of Labor (Turk-Is) Secretary General Mustafa Turker criticized the government over the measures it took against demonstrators during May Day celebrations in a joint press conference on Monday.

Turkish police on Thursday used batons and pepper spray, as well as water cannons to prevent crowds gathered to celebrate May Day in Istanbul from marching to Taksim Square where they planned to hold a mass gathering. Thirty-eight people, including eight policemen and one journalist, were injured and 530 demonstrations had been detained at the Istanbul rally on May 1.

Celebi criticized the security forces' disproportional use of force, asking if it is proportional to fire water cannons and pepper spray against workers gathered in front of union buildings for no apparent reason.

"It is a weakness not to be able to provide security in Taksim on May Day." Celebi said. The government's hostility towards labor and the working class was clearly visible on May 1, he added.

Tombul said the incidents unequivocally evolved into state terror, adding they would file a criminal complaint against the statesmen it feels is responsible including, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, Interior Minister Besir Atalay, Labor Minister Faruk Celik, Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler and Chief of Police Celalettin Cerrah.

He said they will take the issue to the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the European Courts on Human Rights (ECHR).

Turker said the unions plan to celebrate May Day in Taksim again next year and called on the government to begin preparations.

Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP) will also submit on Wednesday a motion of censure concerning the incidents on May Day against Erdogan to the speaker of parliament's office, claiming that the government was responsible for the incidents.

The Turkish government had insisted on its rejection to lift the decades-long ban and open Taksim for celebrations, citing security concerns, taking extra ordinary security measures stationing thousands of police across the city.

Turkey banned May Day celebrations in Taksim Square after 36 people were killed on May 1, 1977; a date since referred to as the "Bloody May 1." This event is seen as a turning point in Turkish history and an important factor that paved the way for the military coup in 1980. Still-unidentified armed men opened fire on the crowd of some 1-million-people attending the celebrations. The clashes between left and right political groups in the 1970s had brought Turkey to the brink of civil war.