arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Members of the Confederation of State Pensioners Unions (KESK) arrived in the Turkish capital from Adana, Diyarbakýr, Trabzon, Ýzmir and Ýstanbul for the sit-in demonstration dubbed "The March to Seek Rights." The new 2001 budget which is called in the press as the IMF budget, gives %10 rises in civil servant's salaries, and %0 rise for workers in state factories. KESK started a campaign a month ago, Budget for the public, not for the IMF. This took support from other labour unions, and also from students' organizations. In November 9th, 1500 KESK members, started a protest by sitting in Ankara's center Güvenpark, which in 11th 50,000 civil servants, socialist parties, and students, joined the protest, which turned to 5 hour protest, which disabled the heart of Ankara. The slogans were, Down with the IMF, goverment resign , budget for the workers not for the IMF, budget to the education, health, not to the IMF, and the most said was, word is done, time to act ! , which meant, protestors will organize a strike, if the state won't go back. The KESK organizers told in the meeting that, the workers all over the world, in Seattle, in Prague, in Greece, and in Yugoslavia, are resisting the IMF and WTO, now it is time to resist in Turkey.