Öz Sağlık İşçileri Sendikası
Our superstructure (umbrella organisation), the HAK-İŞ Trade Union Confederation, celebrated 1 May International Day of Labour Unity, Struggle, and Solidarity in Bursa province. Thousands of HAK-İŞ members that are also members of HAK-İŞ’ sectorial affiliates one of which is the Öz Sağlık-İş Health and Social Services Workers Union flocked to the squares and filled the areas in Bursa province on 1 May International Labour, Unity, Struggle and Solidarity Day.
On May 1st, 2026, International May Day of Labour Unity, Struggle, and Solidarity, we stood united in Bursa downtown which is heart of labour, sweat and industry despite heavy rain. HAK-İŞ community strongly voiced our demands during the May Day celebration programme whose theme was “Unity, Struggle, Solidarity and No to War”.
May Day of International Labour, Unity, Struggle and Solidarity program organised by our Confederation of HAK-İŞ held in the Gökdere Square located in Bursa downtown with the participation of Mr. Mahmut Arslan that is the HAK-İŞ Confederation President together with Mr. Nasri Abu Jaish who is Palestinian Ambassador, Dr. Abdulkadir Sirrulhatme that is President of the Sudanese Workers’ Trade Union Federation (SWTUF), Mr. Devlet Sert who is the Öz Sağlık-İş Health and Social Services Workers Union President as well as one of HAK-İŞ Vice-Presidents together with Mr. Yunus Değirmenci, Mr. Halil Özdemir, and Mr. Mehmet Ali Kayabaşı that are the HAK-İŞ Vice-Presidents, Mr. İsmail Öztürk, Mr. Emre Kocaman, Mr. Muhammet Esat Eyvaz and Mr. Fehmi Azboy that are our union Executive Board Members and Vice-Presidents, Mrs. Eda Akbulut that is the HAK-İŞ General Secretary, Mr. Fadlı Erdem who is the Öz Sağlık-İş Union General Secretary, Mr. Hamdi Abdullah Koçoğlu that is the HAK-İŞ Deputy General Secretary; other sectorial union presidents and executives; our union’s branch presidents and board members; thousands of workers including our members throughout Türkiye, and the press and media staff.
Thousands of workers that are members of HAK-İŞ’ sectorial affiliates flocked to the squares and filled the areas in Bursa province on 1st May International Labour, Unity, Struggle and Solidarity Day. The program began with a moment of silence in honour of our martyrs who lost their lives in workplace accidents, earthquakes, pandemics, natural disasters, and in the defense of our homeland, followed by the recitation of the Turkish National Anthem. Prayers were offered for all our martyrs who heroically gave their lives for the homeland, for those who lost their lives in workplace accidents, and for the innocents massacred in Palestine and Gaza Strip, Iran and Lebanon by zionist Israel and its collaborator the United States of America (USA).
At the Gökdere Square of Bursa province, large banners displaying our demands adorned the meeting area and streets: “Tax Rates on Wages Should Be Lowered”, “Obstacles to Freedom of Association and Union Organisation Should Be Removed”, “Fair Distribution of Wealth and Tax Justice Should Be Ensured”, “Problems of Seasonal, Temporary and Campaign Workers Should Be Solved”, “A Fair Pension System Should Be Maintained”, “We Demand Absolute Job Security”, “No to War”, “Not to Genocide, Support Palestine”, “Palestine is Our Red Line”, “Greetings to Gaza, Continue the Resistance”, “Greetings to SUMUD Flotilla, Keep on the Resistance”, “UAE, Withdraw Your Hands from Sudan”, and “HAK-İŞ Stands in Solidarity with Sudan”.
MR. ARSLAN: GREETINGS TO EVERY CORNER OF TÜRKİYE AND ALL WORKERS ON THE EARTH
Mr. Mahmut Arslan, the HAK-İŞ President, emphasized historical heritage of Bursa province and highlighted the importance of raising the voice of the labour struggle in this ancient city. Mr. Arslan stated that May Day was not just a calendar day, but a shared memory of labour and a common will for the future. He noted that this voice, rising simultaneously in all squares of Türkiye, was the strongest demonstration of labour solidarity, and stressed that all obstacles could be overcome as long as all workers acted in unity.
Mr. Arslan also sent greetings to the workers across Türkiye that were on strike and fighting in resistance tents for their bread, their rights, and their future. By emphasizing that the struggle of all workers especially of textile workers resisting against injustice and demonstrating an honorable stance, Mr. Arslan declared that the HAK-İŞ Confederation has always stood by the workers. He called for increased solidarity by voicing “May your struggle be blessed”.
MR. ARSLAN: WE WILL NEVER GIVE ANY CHANCE TO THOSE WHO TRY TO CONFINE 1st MAY TO JUST ONE DAY
Mr. Arslan emphasized that May Day was a deeply rooted and powerful tradition of struggle that could not be reduced and confined to just one day by reminding that HAK-İŞ community has been celebrating this meaningful day with events spanning a week for years.
By underlining that the voice of labour would continue to rise in all the squares of Türkiye, every square in the country was 1st May area to cultivate an understanding of May Day as celebration in unity, brotherhood, and solidarity, and May Day is a shared value for all workers, Mr. Arslan expressed his opposition to confining 1st May to ideological frameworks.
Mr. Arslan commemorated the workers who lost their lives during 1 May of 1977 events in Istanbul and reiterated the call for the perpetrators of that case to be found by calling for shedding light on that dark day was of great importance both for justice and for the preservation of the memory of the labour struggle.
“CURRENT TAX AND PENSION SYSTEMS DEEPEN INJUSTICE; THEY MUST CHANGE”
Mr. Arslan drew attention to the injustices in Palestine, Sudan, East Turkestan, Arakan, and other oppressed regions all over the world. By stating that the humanitarian tragedies in those and other regions were not just the problems of those regions, Mr. Arslan emphasized that HAK-İŞ considered them as its own struggles. He explained understanding of HAK-İŞ community as “Their cause is our cause,” and added that international solidarity should be maintained not just in words, but in deeds.
He stated that the labour struggle was not limited to economic demands but (it) was also a struggle for dignity, and that they would resolutely fight against dismissals, union repression, and human rights violations. He also warned that abandoning the struggle would mean not only a loss of rights but also an assault on human dignity by inviting all workers to unite around a common struggle.
Mr. Arslan, in his assessment of the tax and pension systems in Türkiye, underlined that the current structure worked against workers and other low income segments of the society. By stating that the current tax burden on wage earners in Türkiye is increasing and the inequality in income distribution is deepening, he said, “Such a system where those who earn a lot pay less tax and those who earn little pay more tax is unsustainable. Even a wolf wouldn’t make such a distribution, even if it were king over the lambs.”
Mr. Arslan highlighted that the current pension structure caused serious grievances for employees and their families. He noted that it was unacceptable for those who have worked longer within the same system to retire with lower retirement salary, emphasizing that this situation undermined trust in the social security system. The current pension system deepened injustice. That is why it must change.
“A COMEDY IS BEING PLAYED OUT IN MINIMUM WAGE DETERMINATION PROCESS”
Mr. Arslan criticised the current minimum wage determination process in Türkiye. By stating that current structure of the minimum wage determination commission has become dysfunctional, he underlined that this system, which has been in place for years, never meet the expectations of workers and added that the public opinion was kept busy for a whole month, and in the end, the employers got their way.
Paying attention to the unfairness of the current minimum wage determination process, Mr. Arslan emphasized the need to change the current structure by calling for establishment of a new model that is effective, inclusive, transparent, and fair by involving worker (union) representatives. By stating that the minimum wage affected the living standards of millions of people, he said that this process should be taken seriously.
“THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO UNIONISATION (FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION) IS LACK OF JOB SECURITY”
Mr. Arslan stated that the biggest obstacle to unionisation (freedom of association) was lack of job security by adding that the current system prevented workers from organising and joining unions. He emphasized that workers faced the risk of being fired (sacked) if they joined a union, which made it difficult to access and exercise their union rights.
“PRESIDENTIAL DECREE LAW NO 696 IS A SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT, BUT ITS DEFICIENCIES MUST BE ADDRESSED”
Mr. Arslan, our Confederation President, stated that the termination of the sub-contracting system in the Turkish public sector and the granting of permanent positions to hundreds of thousands of workers through Presidential Decree Law (decree having force of law) No. 696 was a historic turning point for the labour movement. By highlighting the importance of this transformation with these words: “We have thrown the subcontracting system in the public sector into the trash.”
Mr. Arslan noted that the fulfillment of this demand is a significant achievement in Turkish working life by drawing attention to the fact that there are still thousands of workers employed in state-owned enterprises who are not included in the permanent position scheme, then they should also be granted permanent positions as soon as possible.
“APPOINTMENT AND EXCHANGE POSITION BY MUTUAL CONSENT RIGHTS MUST BE LEGALLY ENSURED”
Mr. Arslan pointed out to two of the most important problems for workers who have been transferred to permanent positions are their rights of “appointment” and “exchange position by mutual consent” by highlighting that new regulations were needed within the constitutional framework in this issue. Referring to the Turkish Constitutional Court’s decisions, Mr. Arslan emphasized that the necessary legal steps should be taken in a such way to protect their family unity and maintain their work and social lives within decent conditions.
“OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS AND DISEASES ARE NOT FATE, THEY ARE PREVENTABLE”
Drawing attention to the casualties incurred in the workplaces, Mr. Arslan highlighted that highlighted that these deaths were largely preventable by underlining the need of increasing inspections and strengthening occupational health and safety (OHS) measures. He also stressed that the right to life of workers was paramount.
“THE SUMUD FLOTILLA CARRIES THE HOPE OF THE OPPRESSED”
Mr. Arslan pointed out that the SUMUD Flotilla, which set out to break the blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the innocent and oppressed there, carried the hope of the oppressed. Emphasizing that SUMUD Flotilla was not just an aid movement but also a symbol of the struggle for justice and freedom, he conveyed his message of solidarity with all activists on the said flotilla by stated that HAK-İŞ would continue to stand by the oppressed and innocent globally.
DR. SIRRULHATME: HAK-İŞ’ STANCE OF BROTHERHOOD AND SOLIDARITY WITH SUDAN INCREASES THE HOPE OF SUDANESE WORKERS
In his speech, Mr. Arslan also drew attention to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the massacres perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against civilians, particularly in Al-Fashir. By stating that the Sudanese people were facing severe oppression and inhumane practices such as attacks on women, targeting hospitals, and the killing of civilians were unacceptable, he noted that the Sudanese labour movement has remained steadfast throughout this unbearable process.
Dr. Abdulkadir Sirrulhatme emphasized that, President of the Sudanese Workers’ Trade Union Federation (SWTUF), the strong and sincere relationship they have established with the HAK-İŞ Confederation was based not only on trade union cooperation but also on shared values and humanitarian solidarity. In his assessment made on behalf of Sudanese workers, he described that HAK-İŞ’ resolute and principled stance, especially during the difficult period Sudan was going through, was of great significance, and that this support was one of the most concrete and valuable examples of international union solidarity. Dr. Sirrulhatme also highlighted that HAK-İŞ’ powerful stance of brotherhood and solidarity increased the hope of Sudanese workers.
Following the opening and protocol speeches, carnations were distributed from the platform and doves were released.
At the end of the 1st May International Labour, Unity, Struggle and Solidarity Day event, May Day Declaration of HAK-İŞ Trade Union Confederation which contained our demands was read.
