On the context of paternalism and populism labour process in the railway industry in Turkey (1960-1980): The case of Eskişehir Railway Factory

This study attempts to explain the labour process in Turkey in the 1960-1980 period through the case of Eskişehir Railway Factory. The study utilizes the "international new working class researches" approach in terms of the making of the working class. According to this approach, the economy-politics of countries can directly affect the production strategy of factories. However, the economy-politic of a country alone cannot be explanatory for the making of the working class and the struggles between classes. For example, the making of working class in Turkey, a semi-colonial country due to the late industrialization and the process of encirclement of the Ottoman Empire, can be discussed in the context of international new working class research. The Ottoman Empire, where capital accumulation did not occur due to its failure to fully enter the industrialization phase, handed down an economic structure based on agriculture as an economic legacy to the Republic of Turkey. This is the main reason for the delay in the formation of the Turkish working class. On the other hand, it is also possible to argue that workerization began in limited industrial enterprises. At this point, it can be stated that Eskişehir Railway Factory is among the pioneering examples in the history of the Turkish working class. From the early Republican period onwards, Eskişehir Railway Factory played an important role in the industrialization and development strategies of the governments. Established as a locomotive maintenance and repair workshop during the construction of the Anatolia-Baghdad Railway Line, the factory played a critical role in the production of traction and towed vehicles for railways from the 1950s onwards. In addition to its economic activities, the factory was also of great importance in terms of the formation of the working class and labour relations. During the 1960-1980 period, when the principles of planned development were implemented, the economic and social interests of the workers at the factory were maximized. Based on archival research and oral history interviews, this study argues that there is a bond between the Eskişehir Railway Factory, a state-owned enterprise, and its workers based on paternalism and populism.