301

Exactly two years ago today, it has experienced the biggest occupational homicides at the history of Republic of Turkey. Two years have passed over the day which the 301 miners’ breath wasn’t enough to reach the exit door of the coal mine at Soma.

There isn’t any meaning the question of “Is there anything changed after the massacre?” Because, Soma massacre occurred again and again every day during two years.

Only just a few months passed over it. Without becoming cool of the burning coal at Eynez mine at Soma where 301 miners lifeless body left behind, 10 workers lost their lives inside the elevator that crashed down from the thirty-second floor of the giant construction area which is built by Torunlar(building company) at Mecidiyekoy, Istanbul.

The common point of the two businesses of the bosses is that they have taken the high privileged government jobs at the period of the AKP. In fact, the second one was a school friend with Erdogan from imam hatip high school(kind of religion schools at Turkey). But the original partnership was safe box.

After then, the massacre continued at Ermenek. This time, the boss of the coal mine was not a friend from high school, but he was an utter pro-AKP, a money-hungry coal merchant. Already almost all the coal mines in Ermenek, was ran by his family. 18 miners have died with the explosion of the water which filled in the old gallery with coming from the active part of mine quarry. Hundreds of meters under the ground, they died by drowning. It was found slime and water in their lungs at autopsy, not carbon monoxide.

After Ermenek, massacre continued at Sırnak. This time, mine quarry was illegal. For a time, they couldn’t make identified who died. After Kozlu. And then the others…

Soma massacre continued at the coal mines, construction areas, factories, truck haulages during two years.

It wasn’t enough. Massacre continued at the Assembly tables. After Soma, the government changed dozens of laws which weren’t relative with each other by putting forward to improve the working conditions of the miners. With all that, as soon as laws pass the parliament, in this time thousands of miners found themselves at the door of mines(fired from job). Such arrangements, two minimum wages, 6 hours working per day, plus 4 days annual leave have been appetizer of mine bosses who stopped the producing at mine quarries. Bosses took what they want into three days, and on the other hand the “spring cleaning” was also completed. When the mine quarries began production again, all the miners who were fired from job were not able to take back to their job. So once again the massacre returned back to the coal mines in Zonguldak, Kütahya, Ermenek, Nevsehir and etc from Assembly’s halls at Ankara.

Massacre sometimes has been the slap of Prime Minister on the face of a miner who sought refuge in the store while he was trying to run from the police violance during protest; sometimes it has been the undersecratary’s kick at the back of a miner who felt anger and pain at the same time while he was falling down the ground. And sometimes, the massacre has been the becoming unemployed of more than two thousand miners without taking “a single penny”; sometimes it has been the law cases which opened against the miners who protested “the statesmen”, and their testimonies at these cases.

The massacres at Soma continued during two years.

Actually, the massacres hadn’t started with Soma. While Erdogan was thanking to the Ministers of Labour who have worked at AKP’s period(into last 14 years of AKP governments 4 Minister of Labour worked) from the reading desk at the first day of “International Occupational Health and Safety Conference” which held eighth in this year, the number of workers who lost own life in occupational homicides has reached 15,000 people during his ruler. AKP has been the power which caused to infected most blood of workers to the hands of capitalism.

We are in the day of “anniversary of Soma massacre”. And the massacre is still continuing.

This article was written by Alpaslan Savas, and it was quoted from Sol Haber(left news) link:

http://haber.sol.org.tr/yazarlar/alpaslan-savas/301-155784

and my another post about Soma from last year 13 May;

https://unnecessarynewsfromearth.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/do-i-take-off-my-boots-stretcher-would-not-become-dirty-with-my-boots-slush/

“Do I take off my boots? Stretcher would not become dirty with my boot’s slush.”

The words of the title were told after coal mine disaster a year ago, 13 May 2014 Soma, Manisa, Turkey. These belonged to miner Murat Yalcin, who survived from tragedy that 301 coal miners died tragically:
“Do I take off my boots?”
Later an interview, Yalcın was asked that why he said this. His answer was very significant.
“After me, my friends will have to be removed from the mine. And I do not want to be moved of them with a dirty stretcher. ”

Unfortunately, it has not been as he wishes. 485 workers were rescued, 301 workers and 1 mining engineer lost their life.

What happened after this incident was a tragedy. The families of the 301 miners who haven’t proper safety and healthy working conditions, could not get months salaries. Currently, the monthly salary which was given by AKP government to these families is 100 euros AKP government did not keep the promises. It has put a ban on the press and obstructed those who bring this issue to the agenda with all kinds of obstacles. Even, one of advisers of Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is president of republic today, kicked to a young man who was protest to Erdogan. That day at Soma, Recep Tayyip Erdogan had encountered an anger.

Then the words which R.T. Erdogan said that reveals how is desperate the situation in Turkey for workers:
“This way of death, is into the fate of this work.”

The answer to him was given by Soma mine worker, Engin Dagli:

“I wasn’t there when prime minister came. Also, I moved away when I heard that he came. I do not want to see even his face. However, he said
“This way of death, there is into the fate of this work.”. I want to ask him: Is it fate, if a man jumps out from the top of a ten-story building? Top it all off, R.T. Erdogan is giving an examples from mine accidents from France or China.

And another question:
Soma Construction Company which is the original owner of the mine, is especially protected. What is the reason?
Dagli: There is only one reason. Melike Dogru, who is wife of administrative manager of the mine and also the general manager, in the March 30 elections, she was nominated a member of the AKP provincial council. At the same time the company is the company that AKP distributes coal. (AKP government, before every election, distributes coal to poor people and collects votes).

To cultivate business in mine, over-production was done; lest stop production, shift changes were made gradually and there was no job security. Even, the owner of the mine had said unashamedly:
“We produce at tons of coal 23.8 dollars, while Turkey Coal Enterprises produces at tons of coal 130-140 dollars.”

So workers were running excessive. Shift system functioned unhealthy. There was no job security. And all the money they were receiving a monthly salary of 450 euros to 750 euros.

The security video recordings about what happened on that day, emerged in April 2015.

From the beginning first minutes of the video, there is the security cameras images of the day. From the second minute, and now disaster had been; the other miners and even their wives began to come to mine, to get news or to recover. While workers go out on the one hand, rescuers enter to inside on the other hand. In 3 minutes a worker gives an effort to explain of the status to outsiders. From 4th minutes the bodies of the miners begin to take out. From 5:20 minutes the anger and the rebellion of the miners is seen.

After 8 months after the disaster, the Republic of Turkey prosecutors could not prepare for a indictment about Alp Gurkan who is mine owner. And this man was not arrested until today. Already, according to mine owner, the responsibility of disaster belongs to mining engineer, who died in mine or those who make conspiracy. Thereupon, the relatives of the miners, collectively, they sued for damage and now it is heard in those days. It is still continuing.

For this case, which turned into a scandal, the workers’ relatives are experiencing the same pain almost every month in courtrooms.

The cries of the workers’ relatives outgrow the court hall. Here is, some of their words:

“I rather than the death of my husband, I’m sorry the poverty that he lived.”
“My husband never had a new shoe. Because, he always wore boots.”
“Our children always use black color in the paintings that they make at school.”
“After my husband died, the state gave 100 euros monthly salary. Is this my husband’s value?”

You can say poverty or despair for all happening. But it is the same name in all the world’s languages: Wild capitalism. The oppression of the working class has not been a realistic pain as today’s. The workers have no name in the new world order. Workers are used as slave.

The quotes and sources:

http://www.evrensel.net/haber/110255/somada-madenci-esleri-ve-isciler-yurudu
http://www.haberturk.com/gundem/haber/1027683-somada-ceza-davasi-yok-tazminat-davalari-basladi
http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turkiye/260571/Soma_da__Alp_Gurkan__yargilansin_talebi.html
http://www.bianet.org/bianet/insan-haklari/155740-soma-nin-cevapsiz-sorulari
http://www.sendika.org/2014/05/soma-iscisi-erdogan-madende-calismayi-intihar-mi-saniyor/

Turkey: more than 2,800 miners fired in disaster-hit Soma

2800 miners, who become unemployed at one side, Ak-Saray which has built $615 million by a new Sultan of Turkey at the other side. Even this cost can be more. Because, the company that has undertaken the construction of Ak-Saray said”if the actual cost of the structure is announced, Turkey’ economy will be damaged”

news from- http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/

(ANSAmed) – ANKARA, DECEMBER 3 – More than 2,800 miners have been laid off in the Aegean coal capital of Soma, hit by the deadliest mining accident of Turkey’s history, as Turkish Dogan News Agency reported. The Soma Coal Mining Company, which operates the Eynez mine where 301 workers were killed in May, stated that its contract with Turkish Coal Enterprises expired in May 2014 and the contracts of 2,831 miners had been canceled as of November 30. The number of miners who still work in the same company’s mines in Soma in the Aegean province of Manisa remained at 2,182, according to the statement. The company said it is struggling to pay the double salaries agreed as compensation after the Soma mining disaster. “Soma Coal Mining Inc. is not able to pay the salaries of the workers that are not working after paying them double salaries for six months. It is also legally impossible to continue the contract of the laborers of a coal mine that is not operating,” it stated. The accident in Soma on May 13 claimed 301 lives, making it the deadliest industrial disaster in Turkey’s history. (ANSAmed).