In the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, held under the chairmanship of the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Yusuf Beyazıt, group proposals of the parties were discussed before discussing the legislative proposals on the agenda and the works coming from the commissions.
CHP Group submitted a Parliamentary inquiry motion with the aim of "investigating all aspects of the explosion and fire that occurred at the HABAŞ Iron and Steel Factory in Aliağa district of Izmir, reconsidering worker health and safety measures, examining the adequacy of public inspection, determining the measures to be taken to protect the rights of workers and families."
Rıfat Nalbantoğlu, General Secretary of Butlan CHP and Izmir Deputy, who spoke upon his party's group proposal, emphasized that what happened in HABAŞ was not the first and said, "Fatal and fatal work accidents occur almost every day in our country, but these are lost among the agenda and discussions in the country. "Unfortunately, the last of these happened yesterday in Izmir," he said.
"HOW MANY TIMES WAS THIS FACILITY INSPECTED IN THE LAST 10 YEARS?"
Noting that the CHP delegation went to the region after the explosion, Nalbantoğlu said, "When we look back, it can be seen that various work accidents with fatalities and injuries occurred in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026. On October 21, Hakan Doğan and on November 5, 20-year-old Eyüp Eğinli lost their lives while working in the same facilities. Then on November 9, 18 more workers. "So, before the end of three weeks, we lost 20 workers in the same facilities," he said. Nalbantoğlu continued his speech as follows:
"Now I ask the government: How many times has this facility been inspected in the last 10 years? What findings were made as a result of the inspections? What sanctions were applied regarding these? How many more workers need to die before precautions are taken? The Minister of Labor and Social Security says that no serious problems were detected in previous inspections. However, according to the data reflected in the company's own sustainability report, accidents causing loss of working days increased from 109 to 146 for company employees and from 38 to 83 for subcontracted workers in 2025. How can it be that no serious problem is detected in the face of this picture?
The publication ban following the disaster that occurred yesterday is another tragedy. The sensitivity that is not shown in ensuring the life safety of workers is shown in limiting the public's right to receive information? Why are you limiting? What are you trying to hide? Are you afraid that the truth will be revealed? Will you prevent workplace homicides this way? The duty of the state is not to initiate an investigation after workers die, but to prevent workers from dying. I am making a clear call from here: No negligence, no responsibility should be covered up. All audit records should be disclosed, an independent and transparent investigation should be conducted, and the possible responsibilities of the employer and relevant public officials should be fully investigated.
Looking at examples from around the world today, it can be seen that these accidents can be predicted and prevented by taking the necessary precautions. No production target, no cost calculation, no profit can be more valuable than the life of a worker. When we look at it today, many countries, especially in Europe; We see that, with legal reforms, technological integration, strict and transparent control mechanisms and cultural transformation, it has managed to reduce fatal work accidents by more than half, that is, over 57 percent, in the last thirty years. Why can't we succeed? What are we missing? Are our people less valuable? As the Republican People's Party, I state that we will follow this disaster and the process of revealing those responsible until the end, and I believe that the Parliament will take the necessary steps in this regard.
CHP's research proposal was not accepted with the votes of AKP and MHP.
