Turkey's Revolutionary Workers Unions Confederation (DISK) held a press conference via social media about the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on workers.

DISK President Arzu Çerkezoğlu said that the only way to stay at home is to stop all work except absolutely necessary and vital jobs. She noted that Turkey can be faced with the biggest unemployment disaster ever.

What needs to be done

Emphasizing that they have warned the authorities from the beginning but to no avail, Çerkezoğlu listed the things that need to be done as follows:

“1- layoffs should be banned

2- Paid leave should be granted except for the production of mandatory goods and services

3- The salary of all employees should be secured

4- Conditions for benefiting from unemployment insurance allowance should be facilitated

5- Invoice and credit debts should be postponed

6- The lowest pension should be increased to the minimum wage level.”

The government is late and the danger is bigger

DISK chairwoman emphasized that the government is late in taking effective measures against the pandemic, so the danger is growing by the day.

Çerkezoğlu said: "The most effective way to combat the epidemic is to stay at home and thus avoid the virus from spreading. This is now known by everyone. Staying at home is the only solution. So, to stay at home, is what needs to be done. However millions of workers are still forced to go to work. Millions of workers use public transports. They work side by side with other workers in their workplaces, eat in canteens. Then they go home to their families."

She emphasized that all employees in public health services, all healthcare and municipal employees, and all labor force workers must be provided with complete and qualified protective equipment, and regular test and health screening should be carried out.