Victory for workers who persevered in the strike
Victory for workers who persevered in the strike
The union statement concluded with the words, ”The winners of this strike are not only Smart Solar workers, but all metal workers and the Turkish working class. Our Smart Solar strike has taken its place as a valuable experience that once again demonstrates the importance of organized struggle in the history of the Turkish working class’s struggle.”
WE DID NOT BREAK, WE WON
Emine AZAK Smart Solar Workplace Representative
Strikes are the school of the working class; every worker should experience a strike… Our very long strike ended in victory; we were a light for the class, we were the way. We resisted, we did not break, we were many, and we stood tall and fought with dignity. We did not lose to the boss for 4 months. Our resistance went down in history. Our resistance will be an example to other factories, organized or unorganized.
WOMEN COULDN’T GET ENOUGH OF THE ACTION
Our strike was a women’s strike, and we are even more honored and proud because we crowned it with victory together with women. I was the only female representative, and of course we were tired, fighting separately at the factory and at home. Although we sometimes encountered difficulties in coordinating with our male colleagues, we pulled through.
We also dealt with the yellow union, the authorities, the police, and the government. Our struggle was not only against the boss. We also spent November 25 in the tent. The women workers of the Smart resistance will also be at the forefront on March 8. The three shifts came together as one heart, the quarrelers reconciled, and we shared a loaf of bread. On the one hand, we are tired, but on the other hand, we can’t get enough of dancing! We did not give in to the employer playing with our nerves. Now we will all go inside together.
SOLIDARITY HEATED UP THE TENT
The struggle is not over; it will continue once we go inside. We came to our strike tent every day as if something was coming. We got to know our friends and our enemies. We spent the winter in the tent but didn’t get sick; the determination of the resistance kept us warm. We stood strong with the help of those who came to the tent in solidarity.
The boss tried to break us, to tear us apart; he tried to break the strike, fired the leading workers, offered bribes, but we didn’t break despite everything. He tried to take away our tea breaks and our weekend leave. He even tried to attack our union’s principles. We overcame all of them. We said we would either all go back together or none of us would go back. Now all our friends will be reinstated and we will all return to the factory together. May the same happen to our friends working at the Smart Solar factory in Izmir.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Örnek grevde zafer direnen emekçinin, published in BirGün newspaper on February 12, 2026.
