A Better Life

The NDSM is doing well. There's enough work, but not enough workers. In 1967, a delegation from the NDSM traveled to Turkey to recruit suitable "guest workers." The first group arrived in March 1968. They were housed behind the NDSM. Camp Atatürk was actually called a "residential camp," but according to İsmail, it didn't deserve that name. It was a real camp, with a camp chief. Eight of us slept to a room and had to share a toilet. There were three hundred men in total, and they had ten showers. I once calculated that if everyone showered after work, the last ones would be finished around one in the morning. There were no washing machines; we had to wash our clothes by hand. We got food from the canteen, which we then ate in our rooms. The hot meal was always Dutch food. I ate tough pulled pork and often potatoes and cauliflower. And this was the most luxurious camp in the Netherlands…

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1974 Turkish workers in solidarity with the actions to keep the NDM open.

de stelling/framed #6

Turkish Employees on NDSM

trade | exploit