UNISON sends condolences over Turkish mine deaths

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis has sent the union’s condolences to the Turkish  miners’ union, which has so far lost almost 300 members in the country’s worst ever mine disaster.

Turkey has just began three days of mourning, while unions are holding a one-day strike in protest over the disaster, saying that privatisation of the mining sector has made working conditions more dangerous.

The current death toll at the mine, in Soma, is 282. Around 150 miners remain missing. An electrical fault triggered a blast in the mine on Tuesday.

Writing to Nurettin Akçul, general president of minworkers’ union Maden-Is, Mr Prentis said: “We are deeply saddened by this piece of news, and we mourn our brothers who passed away while working hard to make a living.

“This must rank as the worst mining tragedy in recent memory, and is made all the more tragic by the seemingly uncaring attitude of the government and mining companies.

“Their attitude is unacceptable and must come to an end. It is intolerable that mine workers in Turkey are denied their basic human right to work in an environment that guarantees their safety.”

Mr Prentis noted that Turkey had “possibly the worst” safety record in terms of mining accidents and explosions in Europe and the third worst in the world.

“As a matter of urgency, UNISON calls upon the Turkish government to immediately ratify and implement ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines, to save the lives of mine workers.

“We once again call upon the Turkish authorities to take the lives of mineworkers seriously and to place it above profit.”

UNISON working internationally