As a second step after the WFTU high-level mission to Turkey, a day after the Soma Mine tragedy, WFTU in coordination with is affiliated union Nakliyat-Is is organizing an International Conference in solidarity with the working class of Turkey and the coal miners in Soma in Istanbul, Turkey on the 18th of June 2014.
On May 13th 2014, an explosion in the coal mines in Soma, Turkey killed 301 coalminers and injured many more. That case was no accident; it is not an individual case. Dozens of occupational and fatal accidents occur throughout the year in the mines of Turkey and all over the world. The reasons are clear: the private-ownership over the mine and the profit-oriented policy led to cut-downs in up-to-date technology and periodic maintenance, to the criminal lack of proper safety measures and the intensification of labor. Those are the true causes behind the tragedy in Soma that killed hundreds of mineworkers.
The tragedy in Soma is a crime against the working class and the main culprits are the private corporation that exploits the mines and the government of Turkey. In the coal mines of Soma there were no adequate health and safety measures for the workers.
The WFTU and Nakliyat-İş call trade unions from all over the world to meet in Istanbul – Turkey this 18th of June 2014 and:
– Solidarize with the miners of Soma and the Turkish working class. This crime against the working class must neither be forgiven, nor forgotten.
– Discuss the response of the Trade Union Movement to this horrible crime
– Demand up-to-date health and safety measures for all workers, in every workplace
– Fight against privatizations and private ownership of natural resources.
File name: 2014_Turkey_Poster_SOMA_FINAL_web.pdf
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