Death catches the workers…
While the pain of massacre of 301 mineworkers in Soma is still fresh for us, now there is a new massacre in the middle of Istanbul, which is initially planned as a park and assembly area after a possible earthquake. 10 workers lost their lives by the accident in the elevator in the construction of a residence, Torunlar Center, in that area.
It has been more than 2 years since the new Occupational Health and Safety Law No: 6331 was legislated. It was expected that this legislation would make some improvements in occupational health and safety area. But what is the result? Deathly work accidents increased 20%…
The construction industry is growing, accumulating wealth and competing. It grows such fast, that 10% of all occupational accidents are in this sector, 25% of permanent total disabilities caused by workplace accidents and 34% of deathly work accidents has happened in this sector.
In the given technological conditions, together with subcontracting, precarious work, speeding up of the work and non-existent occupational health and safety measures makes this possible. Work environment and working conditions which is about the whole life of worker is just being vaporized to air in this process.
Legislations create the minimum standards for the application. But in the field of health and safety, even the application of legislation with their minimum implementation is not applicable for construction sector, there is no real inspection.
While the drunkenness caused by the “magnificent growth” of the sector is making everyone dizzy, the bodies of the workers are falling down, getting lost, being exploded, burned, smashed and crushed.
The reality behind this accumulation of capital is: subcontracting, precarious work, non-unionization, unorganized workforce, increasing of working hours and accelerating the speed of the work.
Workers in the construction are already sacrificed when they are alive. They are being exploited, their lives consumed in short time. But even worse, even their deaths are not being respected.
The officials try to clean the name of the employer and don’t even say one word about this production system. This clearly shows that, this capital accumulation arouses over the “death bodies” of the workers is a political and economical choice.
And more, the horrible truth which we confront in Torunlar Center massacre: the company which gives occupational health and safety service in Soma mine is also responsible here too. This clearly shows that, private sector cannot be trusted on regulation, inspection of occupational health and safety issues.
For the capital, the main economy-political component of occupational health and safety is to make sure that it doesn’t cause any barriers in front of the competition and accumulation of wealth. But they also want occupational health and safety to be part of free market relations where they can accumulate more wealth.
Against these policies and applications there is only one way to proceed: building an organized struggle line with class consciousness for humane working conditions…
We have to strengthen struggle and organizing against this order of capital which claims “deaths are destiny” and blame workers with lying.
Death catches the workers… Government and the capital is in rush to “create excuses with dark conscious and in a demoniacal way”
