Introduction

Imagining Crises of Neoliberalism: Covid-19 Pandemic and (Im)Possibilities of Change in Turkey’s Labour Regime

“…. .’ (Erol, 2021: 19). Accordingly, political economy of Turkey was reshaped by adapting export-oriented growth strategy to improve the country’s competitiveness in the global market (Öniş, 2019: 204).…”

“…Neoliberalism in Turkey is defined in the literature as a state-centric process to reorganise extant system of relations based on global market rules through depoliticising labour. It is also widely acknowledged that its historical development in the country has continued uninterruptedly since its inception in the early 1980s despite having been exposed to numerous crises (Erol, 2021). For responses of the ruling elites to crises-ridden conditions have resulted in further entrenchment of neoliberalisation.…”

“…Accordingly, political economy of Turkey was reshaped by adapting export-oriented growth strategy to improve the country’s competitiveness in the global market (Öniş, 2019: 204). This transition had been carried out through making new arrangements in the labour market, among which politics of wage regression to reduce labour costs, and of de-unionisation to put an end to class-based politics were the two most notable ones (Erol, 2021; Gökten, 2021; Pınar, 2021).…”

“…A few years after retransition to civilian politics under the centre-right Motherland Party (MP) administration, labour movement stroke back for the improvement of real wages. Although the movement partially achieved its aim, the MP administration’s macroeconomic response was the deregulation of financial sectors (Erol, 2021: 21). Throughout politics of financial deregulation, not only the immunity of capital(ists) against organised labour demands was to be ensured, but also the expected short-term foreign capital inflows would be used to restore growth and financial debt.…”

“…The 2001 crisis was the key moment for Turkey’s transition to ‘regulatory neoliberal’ model (Erol, 2021: 23; Öniş, 2019) as the ruling elite’s ‘response to the crisis was a full-fledged neoliberal structural reform programme . .…”