Page 23 - KAZOVA - ENGLISH
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In the meantime, attacks continued. On the morning of the
first day we made sales, people came from the electricity authority.
They said we had a debt of 2000 Turkish lira and they would cut
off the electricity. We said this was not our debt and they should
get the money from Umit Somuncu. They persisted in trying to
cut off the electricity. We would not allow them, then they tried
to switch off the generator, again we would not let them and then
they departed, saying they would call the police.
The DIH gave us some information about Arpagut. Workers
in a coal mine in Corum Province had been laid off after it was
claimed their coal was causing harm. Like us, they were owed
wages. The workers were occupying the mine. The people in the
area needed coal because without it they could not fire up their
ovens to bake bread, nor could Turkish bath workers heat the
baths up. The workers wanted to sell the coal they had produced.
By selling coal they would make the money they were entitled to
and also keep the mine operating. The occupation was finally
ended by a military operation.
The event affected the Kazova workers very much. We too
could do it, we had the means of production, we could produce
and sell and we had experience. At least as far as making the
money that we were owed anyway, but our machines were broken.
When the boss went he thought the machines were worthless but
he interfered with the motors anyway and did material damage to
them.
We completed the partially manufactured sweaters, we sold
them and had some money coming in. We decided to reserve this
for repairing the machinery. We were both selling sweaters and at-
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