ABSTRACT

During the last decades of the Ottoman Empire thoughts and efforts aiming to unify the labor movement in Istanbul and create a local association of trade unions were not few. Although such associations were made actual, they were not persistent. However, the Association of Istanbul Trade Unions İİSB , which was reestablished in 1948, this time as part of hegemonic struggle of CHP in the trade unions domain, earned a unique place in the workers movement of Turkey with its works and struggle lasting until 1962. At that time, the decision of closing the local associations and opening instead the regional representation offices of Türk-İş, is a still arguable decision, which had serious effects on the dynamism of the local workers movement. Nowadays the object of actual quests is the importance and necessity of local associations, which would put into motion local dynamics, exhibit solidarity in concrete manners with overwhelming depth going beyond business sector /business place discrimination in a structure, where excessively centralized, nationwide organized business sector trade unions dominate and lead mostly a withdrawn life. İİSB provided considerable contribution to the elaboration of workers movement capacity during its years of existence. When we look at the short history of İİSB, we see a dynamic and vivacious structure, which organized campaigns against deunionization policies of the employers, realized large meetings and organizations, acted as an arbiter and intermediary in times of frustration among and between trade unions, arranged assemblies for the right to strike or to change the structure of arbitration committees, which adjudge labor conflicts. On the other hand İİSB had been a platform, where the politic conflicts of the era were reflected vigorously. The success of the association in organizing during its last terms the Saraçhane Meeting in Istanbul, which is the first large meeting of the worker movement in Turkey, has a historical value. At the same time İİSB was a school for the most of unionists generation and labor leaders of 1950s. As expressed by its last president Avni Erakalın the Association became “the senate of workers” and served as a platform, where the relationship between the politics and unionists were intensely experienced and discussed. The founders of TİP, which was constituted in 1962, were composed mostly from unionists, who had passed the İİSB experience and on the accumulation provided by such experience. On the other hand a sort of competition, even a conflict existed between Türk-İş, which was constituted in 1952 and İİSB. The Association worked as a confederation in fact during whole its life. At this point notice must be drawn to the difference and rivalry between the unionist schools of Istanbul and Ankara, which have their overtones even in our labor movement of nowadays. There are considerable differences between the practices and requests of Istanbul unionists, who had to overcome the difficulties of organizing and struggling in the businesses belonging mostly to the private sector and the approaches of Ankara unionists, who organized mostly in public sector, therefore tending towards an unionism of a relatively more bureaucratic and official nature and relationships based on conciliation with the state and government. The decision to close the Associations in 1962, is in a sense a final point put in favor of Türk-İş. İİSB with its qualifications and historical importance, which are given shortly is an example to be studied on its own in view of the labor history. The writing deals with the İİSB experience in its historical perspective and discusses it in the context of spatial and dimensional strategies of the worker movement.