Turkey’s president marks Labor and Solidarity Day

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday commemorated International Labor and Solidarity Day.

"We will continue to support all kinds of sincere work to be done in line with the protection of our workers' rights. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with employees," he said.

"I hope that May 1, which is celebrated as a day of unity and solidarity of workers all over the world, will lead to a fair work environment, and I greet all my citizens with my most heartfelt feelings.”

President Erdogan said his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has been struggling to establish labor justice since coming to power, adding the government believed in peaceful ways of claiming laborers’ rights.

"While struggling with the [coronavirus] outbreak, we do our best to ensure that no citizens are aggrieved, and especially to safeguard the continuity of employment. With the programs we implement under the social safety net, we try to minimize the problems caused by the outbreak in our employees’ lives.

"As Turkey grows and prospers, we will make every endeavor in order for each individual member of our nation to benefit from the added value that emerges," Erdogan added.

Touching on the fight against the novel coronavirus, Erdogan said: "In the fight against COVID-19, which affects the whole world, we have attached great importance to the measures and support that will protect our employees in every field."

As of Thursday, Turkey had registered a total of 3,174 deaths due to the coronavirus, while nearly 49,000 people have recovered from the disease. There are currently 120,204 confirmed cases in the country.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 187 countries and regions. Europe and the US are currently the worst-hit areas.

The pandemic has killed more than 233,000 people worldwide, with more than 3.25 million infections, while recoveries exceed 1 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.