It has been 8 years since the Soma mining disaster. 301 miners lost their lives in the mining accident, which was a disaster in our country's working life. Workers' and public workers' organizations, on the other hand, commemorated the miners in their statement and underlined the occupational health and safety. In the statements made, it was noted that occupational safety can be ensured not only by legislative arrangements, but also by creating a mentality that prioritizes human life and expanding unionization.
TÜRK-İŞ: ILLEGAL MINES CONTINUE THEIR ACTIVITIES
In the statement made by Türk-İş Confederation, it was stated that important steps were taken towards the mines after the Soma disaster, but illegal mining workplaces still exist, and the statement said, “This and similar workplaces, where there is no union organization, and which continue to work without rules and supervision, are the bleeding wound of working life. The Soma Disaster trial did not find a response in the public conscience. The sanction of the negligence in the field of worker health in the country was not to a great extent, it was incomplete in the field of law.”
MEMUR-SEN: HUMAN LIFE IS VALUABLE THAN ALL EARNINGS
A statement was also made on the front of public workers regarding occupational health and safety over the Soma disaster. Emphasizing that the safety of human life is in front of all kinds of gain, Memur-Sen Confederation Board of Directors said, “In an environment where human life cannot be protected and sacrificed to negligence, all other data are accidental. In this context, solving problems such as insecure, non-unionized employment and subcontracting is essential both to guarantee the wages and social rights of the workers and to ensure their life safety.”
HAK-İŞ: MENTAL TRANSFORMATION IS A MUST IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Emphasizing that the accidents that caused the death of hundreds of workers should be described as ‘work-related murders’, Hak-İş Confederation said, “Unless necessary and sufficient precautions are taken, audit weaknesses are not eliminated, penalties are not deterrent, and there is not a mentality transformation in the field of occupational health and safety, unfortunately, it is seen that accidents will never fall from our agenda. The way to prevent work accidents and death in work accidents is to pave the way for unionization. With the paving the way for unionization and the implementation of the collective bargaining system, income injustice and unregistered work will be prevented as well as fatal work accidents.”