Statement from United Metal-İş regarding the mining disaster in Soma

United Metal Workers Union (BMİS), affiliated with DİSK, made a written statement regarding the mining disaster that occurred in Soma district of Manisa.

In the statement, it was noted that 5 miners, managers and members of the Independent Mine Workers' Union, lost their lives in the collapse that occurred in the mine belonging to İmbat Madencilik in Manisa's Soma district, and condolences were expressed to the families, relatives, colleagues and the entire working class of Ömer Karakaya, İsa Olcay, Halit Ersay, Kerim Ören and Ramazan İnce.

'STOP PRIVATIZATION AND SUBCONTRACTING' CALL

In the statement, which touched upon the mining disaster in Soma in 2014 and drew attention to the current working conditions, the following statements were made:

"Nothing has changed after the Soma Massacre, in which we lost 301 class brothers. The system that surrenders the lives of workers to the profit ambition of capital with privatization and subcontracting policies continues. We continue to lose our working brothers in mines and other workplaces due to production coercion, lack of control and impunity.

The employer who does not take occupational health and safety measures, the public institutions that do not fulfill their inspection duties, and the government that disregards the lives of workers are responsible for this massacre. All those responsible for this massacre at İmbat Madencilik must be revealed and held accountable before the judiciary. Mines should be nationalized, and privatization and subcontracting policies should be stopped. Measures to protect the lives of workers must be taken immediately, effective public supervision must be ensured and impunity must be ended. As metal workers, we will hold accountable for this massacre together with our miner brothers. "We will expand our fight shoulder to shoulder against workplace murders and impunity."