109 Workers Killed on the Job in October

According to a report released by Worker Health and Work Security Assembly, at least 109 workers were killed from work-related injuries in October.

The distribution of workplace mortalities according to sector listed as follows: Construction (26), transportation (18), agriculture (10), office/trade (12). 

Some of the causes of death were as follows: traffic accident (56), crushing/collapse and falls (12). 

The report also included the case of Sait Gündoğdu (50), a worker who died due to silicosis. 

Other highlights from the report were as follows: 

* Out of 101 workers, only 7 were women: Hediye Kutlu, Pınar Akbaş, Emel Karakozak, Emine Demirel, Hanım Köten, Elmas Eren and Lütfiye Şabulak.

* In Dersim province, Mustafa Atan (52), a electrician worker who was ordered by regional authorities to stop a strike by energy workers at AKSA FEDAŞ, died due to electric shock. The aforementioned workers occupied AKSA FEDAŞ.

* The sectors and information on deceased child workers included: Textile worker Emine Demirel (13), Football player Fırat Sarıçam (16), traffic accident victim worker Serdar Demir (16), seasonal worker Pınar Akbaş (17).

Not an “accident”

Overall in 2013, the total toll of workplace mortalities hit 1017 across Turkey.

The distribution of overall workplace mortalities according to months were as follows: January (84), February (61), March (74), April (74), May (115), June (105), July (120), August (148), September (127) and October (109).

The report also criticized Turkey’s Labor Minister Faruk Çelik’s remarks at the parliament on October 23 on the “alleged decrease on the workplace casualty tolls”. 

“The labor minister must stop calling the workplace mortalities as ‘work accident’. These workers lost their lives because of insufficient precautions or unionization to demand their rights,” the report said. (YY/BM)

* Click here to read the original article in Turkish.