Abstract:

Turkey's sugar industry represents an area where both workers and producers have become losers of the process since the 2000s when sugar factories began to enter the privatization process. It is noteworthy that Şeker-İş Union, where sugar workers are organized, and Pankobirlik, the union of sugar beet producers, sometimes could meet on common grounds in the face of the privatization of sugar factories, but they could not prevent the transformation of the process due to disagreements they fell into. However, as a reflection of the intricate relationship networks that have developed between some union branches and sub-units belonging to the cooperative. It is observed that the parties participate in tenders for some factories together. On the other hand, conflicts of interest between sugar workers and beet producers show that these two segments, who should make a unity of fate, are far from displaying a common will. In the face of the privatization process of 14 sugar factories belonging to Türkşeker in February 2018, these two social segments could neither show the necessary solidarity nor claim an attitude or an alternative model beyond protecting their interests. In this study, the approaches of the parties to the search for an alternative model, which is thought to be constructed with the solidarity of beet producers and sugar workers, were evaluated in line with face-to-face in depth interviews with a total of 21 people.

Keywords: