A review on class struggles in Turkish metal sector through collective bargaining processes between 2008-2022

The struggle of metal workers stands at a unique point in the history of labour movement in Turkey. The right to strike gained with the actual strike at Kavel Kablo in 1963 is the most concrete example of this. Class struggles in metal sector, which plays a key role in the Turkish economy, are not only limited to this sector, but also affect other parts of the working class, the economy in general, and politics. It is possible to say that as a result of the depression that capitalism went into in 2008, a new era has started in this sense. The effect of the depression on the world market also affects the economies of individual countries. This study deals with the class struggles in the metal sector since 2008, when the depression began. In the first part of the study, a theoretical discussion will be carried out. As a result of the discussion in the first and second sub-headings of the chapter, a framework will be drawn with the perspectives of imperialism and unequal and combined development. However, in the third sub-title, the contradictions of capitalism behind the class struggles will be tried to be explained, and this will form a basis for understanding the class struggles in the metal industry in Turkey. Along with the framework drawn by imperialism and unequal and combined development theories, in the second part, Turkey's economic development and class struggles will be discussed through the industrialization process. It will be tried to reveal that the industry, in which the metal sector is included, is shaped around dependence on imperialism. In addition, the second part will allow to see the structural problems of Turkey, which plays a role in the class struggles that will be discussed in the third part, and it will be emphasized that class struggles do not develop separately from economic developments. In the third part of the study, class struggles in the metal sector between the years 2008-2022 will be discussed. The work will be concluded with this section, which will proceed with the document analysis to be made through the press texts of the unions and various news sites. The main conclusion reached by the study is that the depression that started in 2008 has affected the Turkish economy as well as the economies of all countries, and that these dynamics underlie the class struggles in the metal industry. In addition to the depression, the structural problems of the Turkish economy from the past also play a role. However, in the process which the study focuses, there is a change in terms trade unions. Finally, contrary to the views that the concept like precariat replaced the proletariat, the struggle of the metal workers, which can be considered as the most combative section of the working class in Turkey, shows that the working class is the only power that will change the capitalist mode of production.