June 15-16 Resistance Commemorated on its 55th Anniversary: Workers' Struggle Continues to Pave the Way

ISTANBUL – Petrol-İş Union solemnly commemorated the June 15-16, 1970 Resistance, one of the most massive and impactful actions in Turkish labor history, on its 55th anniversary. Yaşar Yıldırım, a member who lost his life during the march, was also remembered.

The June 15-16, 1970 Resistance, one of the most widespread and historic struggles of the Turkish working class, is being commemorated on its 55th anniversary by unions and labor organizations. Petrol-İş Union also saluted this great workers' march with a statement, remembering its members who lost their lives during the struggle.

In 1970, workers rose up against a legal regulation aimed at restricting union rights and freedoms, pouring out of workplaces and into the streets of Istanbul and Kocaeli on June 15 and 16. With the march, one arm progressing along the Gebze-Kartal line and the other on the European side of Istanbul, over a hundred thousand workers stood up for their union rights.

The statement emphasized that the regulation, prepared to halt the growing workers' movement since the 1960s, aimed to weaken and standardize the union structure. However, this massive reaction, given by thousands of workers affiliated with different confederations uniting at the grassroots level, was written in golden letters in the history of the Turkish working class.

Petrol-İş Union stated that its own members also participated massively in the resistance, reminding that one of the workers who lost his life during the march was Yaşar Yıldırım, a member working at Mutlu Akü.

The statement read, "Even today, workers across the country continue to fight against economic pressure, insecurity, and injustice through strikes and resistances. The will and determination shown 55 years ago continue to grow and extend to our five ongoing strikes and the workplaces where we are organized."

The statement also included the expression, "June 15-16 is not just one of the symbolic days of the working class, but also of Turkey's democracy struggle," and it was stated that all workers who lost their lives during the struggle were commemorated with respect.