In addition to Mayor Seçer, DİSK Deputy Chairman and General-İş Union Chairman Remzi Çalışkan, DİSK Genel İş Mersin Branch President Kemal Göksoy, General İş Board Members and Branch Presidents attended the program.
Speaking at the program, Mayor Vahap Seçer stated that Mersin is a beautiful city not only with its location and geography, but also with its people. Pointing out that Mersin is a city that is the mosaic of Turkey and the cradle of democracy, Seçer said, “This is a city that requires great attention. Maybe it has not been known as much as it deserves until now, but since 2019, with a social democratic Mayor, Mersin has become much more talked about and heard in every field. "Mersin cannot be passed without being mentioned both in the political arena, in municipal discussions and in social issues in Turkey," he said.
“MERSIN IS A GREAT SOCIETY MADE UP OF PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER TURKEY”
Pointing out that Mersin is a colorful society consisting of people from all over Turkey and created by this riot of colors, Seçer said that many different political views coexist in Mersin. Seçer said, “We currently have 13 deputies. It consists of MPs from 8 political parties. As you can see here, there is a representative of a nation representing every world view. "This place is extremely important and as the Mayor of Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, you are elected as the mayor in the midst of so much political diversity, and you serve as the Mayor without offending anyone, without upsetting them, without separating them, without separating them or alienating them," he said.
Touching on the importance of the mayorship for a city, Seçer said, “Mayors, especially metropolitan mayors, are equipped with great powers. If you use these powers well, it is good, but if you use them badly, it is also bad. It is up to your merit. "It depends on how your conscience scales," he said.
“IF THERE IS NO DEMOCRACY IN A SOCIETY, THE UNION STRUGGLE CANNOT BE SAID TO BE SUCCESSFUL”
Pointing out that Mersin is a city that offers great opportunities for the working class, Seçer said, “If there is no democracy in a society and it is not internalized, the union struggle cannot be said to be successful. Union struggle; It manifests itself much better in countries where the rule of law norms are at world standards. But if there are anti-democratic practices, union struggles will fail, as is the case today. 20-30 years ago, the number of union members was much higher compared to the population at that time. Union struggles were shaping the direction of Turkish democracy. In many social events, the decisions taken by the rulers of this country were guided by the most powerful NGOs and unions, society and politics. "Now, unfortunately, the situation is reversed," he said.
“MERSIN IS A CITY PRODUCING AND DEVELOPING EVERY DAY”
Emphasizing that Mersin is one of the cities where the working class can sustain life most comfortably under the pressure of the high cost of living in the country, Seçer said, “Mersin is a producing city. Mersin is a city that develops day by day with its agriculture and food sector, industry and an enormous trade volume. That's why employment opportunities here are increasing day by day, and it also offers many different opportunities to working people. Here, people can find the opportunity to live with much lower incomes compared to other metropolises. Mersin has such a feature. In other words, the standard of living of a citizen working in the industry or service sector in Ankara or Istanbul and the adequacy of the wage he receives there are different from those in Mersin. "Employees in Mersin have a slight advantage as they have faster access to basic necessities," he said.
“WE BELIEVE THAT ALL SECTIONS IN MERSIN WILL SUPPORT US”
Adding that he believes that the forces of democracy will unite within the framework of his candidacy in the local elections to be held on March 31, 2024, Seçer said:
“We believe that all segments of society in Mersin will support us. I wholeheartedly believe that the forces of democracy will unite around us and show a red card to our demands to govern Mersin with anti-democratic practices. If we unite, we will get the result. I see that we will emerge victorious from these elections, just like in the 2019 elections. Just as I wholeheartedly believe in this, I also think that we have reinforced this with our 5-year practices. I believe that we will serve our Mersin for another 5 years with the support of all segments of society, together with a Mayor and the hardworking people under his administration, who demonstrate his social democratic understanding as a service to all citizens, whether they vote for him or not, without discrimination in this region.”
Seçer THANKS DİSK-GENEL İŞ
Pointing out that the relations between DİSK-General Business and Mersin Metropolitan Municipality and its administration are extremely sincere and good, Seçer said, “I think that we have maintained a sincere dialogue with both our Mayor Kemal and my friends in his administration for these 5 years. After we came to power, we removed the obstacles to labor organizations. Actually I didn't do anything extra. I paved the way for this union, which was supposed to exist before and was hindered by obstacles, and I removed those obstacles. Naturally, my friends went and did their work. They both increased the number of their members among our employees within Mersin Metropolitan Municipality and organized themselves as DİSK-General Work in Mersin Water and Sewerage Administration. "I would like to thank DİSK-General İş for creating the opportunity to maintain our relations with the working class that serves the people of Mersin on a correct level."
ÇALIŞKAN: “WE CELEBRATE HIS CANDIDACY FOR MERSİN METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY”
DİSK Deputy Chairman and General-İş Union Chairman Remzi Çalışkan said, “We thank Vahap Seçer for paving the way for workers' freedom to choose a union. Of course, it was no surprise to us, this was what was supposed to happen; "We congratulate him again on his candidacy for Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and wish him success," he said.
