Attitudes of Turkish Trade Unions to the Economic Crisis of 1978

Abstract

The 1978 crisis in the world caused crises in political and cultural issues, especially in economic issues. The effects of this crisis, which was also felt in Turkey, revealed some economic and social consequences depending on the causes of the crisis or depression of capitalism in the world. During this period, major trade unions in Turkey were also decisive in defining these crises and presenting solutions for their elimination. As a matter of fact, the dominance of neoliberal policies has led to the lack of solidarity in the society and the weakening of the power of the unions. In such an environment, while the unions started to restructure in Turkey as well as in the world, they started to take actions to offer solutions to the crises. Many social and economic causes of the 1978 crisis emerged in Turkey. Being able to deal with these problems at the union level is primarily related to the social organization culture and democracy of the country in question. In this study, it is aimed to discuss the reactions of the unions to the crisis in the mentioned periods in Turkey and the solution proposals they offer to overcome it. On the other hand, in the method of this study, literature review and document analysis were applied.