ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's four union federations called a one-day general strike on May 15 over the coal mine disaster in Soma, 150 miles southwest of Istanbul, where a fire, explosion and toxic gases on May 13 killed at least 284 miners and left more than 100 others missing. It was Turkey's worst mine disaster, in a nation with a high coal mine death rate.
"The TURK-IS (http://www.turkis.org.tr/) executive board decided to exercise their right to stop work for one day following the Soma tragedy", the union, the largest and oldest of the four federations, said on May 14. It called the results of the explosion and fire "murders." Members of TURK-IS, the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions, are also striking against the excessive use of "subcontract work," it said.
The strike targeted the mine's owners and also Turkish Prime Minister Reycip Erdogan, whose government has been lax in enforcing safety rules and which has refused to ratify an International Labour Organization (http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm) convention covering mine safety, said the European-based union federation IndustriALL (http://www.industriall-union.org/). It includes the union, Maden, which represents Soma's miners.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, a third-generation coal miner and former United Mine Workers president, also mourned the dead miners. Flags in front of the federation's headquarters were at half-staff. "The thoughts and prayers of millions of workers go out to their families and communities," Trumka said.
"This disaster is a stark reminder of the danger workers face every day around the world due to corporate negligence and the failure of governments to protect their citizens," he said.
"There are steps we can and should take to ensure no worker has to choose between a day's pay and their life. Our concerns are grounded in reams of evidence that show the reach of corporate irresponsibility and government incapacity knows no borders. We must dedicate our efforts to ensuring every workplace is safe. He said, "the challenge ahead" is "to ensure that every worker can live without fear of workplace injury or death."
United Mine Workers of America (http://www.umwa.org/?q=news/turkey-mine-disaster-%E2%80%9Cpunch-gut%E2%80%9D-all-coal-miners) (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement Thursday:
"The horrific news coming from the coal mine near Soma is a punch in the gut for every coal miner everywhere in the world. The hearts and prayers of every UMWA member and our families are with the families of the miners who lost their lives, and we sincerely hope that rescue efforts are possible and successful for those who remain trapped.
"The magnitude of this tragedy is appalling. I see where the media is calling this an industrial 'accident,' but a disaster on this scale is no accident. This mine was clearly a bomb waiting to go off. There could not have been any regulatory enforcement or company oversight of what went on in that mine.
"It has been nearly a century since we have seen disasters on this scale in the United States or Canada. Through strong laws and regulations, we have been able to develop workplace protections that keep our miners safe from the kinds of conditions that must have existed in that Turkish mine.
"What we have done here isn't magical. It can be and has been applied elsewhere in the world. We stand ready to work with the Turkish miners and their government to help develop safety and health procedures that can help put an end to the possibility of these sorts of massive disasters in the future."
IndustriALL reported (http://www.industriall-union.org/rising-death-toll-turns-mine-accident-in-turkey-to-carnage) "an electrical fault triggered a transformer to explode causing a large fire...The fire caused a power cut in the mine rendering mine cages unusable and the majority of workers trapped two kilometers underground and four kilometers from the exit."
Mining engineer Ãetin Uygur, former chair of the Underground Mine Workers Trade Union, called the explosion and fire "the greatest workplace massacre in the history of the Turkish working class." He also noted there are close ties between Erdogan's party and the mine's owners, ranging from state subsidies to personal relationships. "Subcontracting of unskilled mining labor was one of the main factors in reducing the costs," at Soma "as the average monthly wage of nearly 5,000 mine workers is only $500," Uygur said.
There have been prior, smaller accidents in the Soma mine, as well as accidents elsewhere, Uygur added. Opposition lawmakers in the Turkish parliament proposed an investigation of the past Soma accidents on April 29, but Erdogan's majority defeated it.
Photo: Miners and members of the rescue services at the mine in Soma, western Turkey, May 15. Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

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Turkey mine disaster: police use riot tactics at protests about mine safetyTeargas and plastic bullets used on protesters at scene of worst industrial accident amid anger at PM's offhand remarks towards victims

Turkish police used teargas, plastic bullets and water cannon to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who gathered on Friday at the scene of the country's worst industrial accident to protest the country's dismal work safety record, and the prime minister's apparently offhand attitude towards victims of the catastrophe.

After Tuesday's explosion and fire at the mine in Soma, western Turkey, 284 people are confirmed dead. Taner Yildiz, the energy minister, said 18 miners were still missing.

The deaths in the Soma coal mine have stirred up fresh antipathy toward prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was criticised for last summer's crackdown on protesters in Istanbul's Taksim Square and his increasingly intolerant stance toward any kind of dissent. The prime minister's comments that "this is what happens in coal mining" prompted a furious reaction in Soma, where he was confronted by angry protestors on Wednesday.

On FridayAbout 1,500 protesters gathered in the city on Friday, chanting anti-government slogans, before they were dispersed by riot police. Some of the demonstrators carried banners reading "It was not an accident, it was murder".

Opposition parties, unions and human rights groups have called for an investigation into the cause of the accident and for those responsible to be held accountable.

Erdogan's ruling party has asked the parliament to set up an inquiry into the disaster but accepted no responsibility.

"We have no inspection and supervision problem" at the Soma mine, insisted Hüseyin Celik, a deputy leader of the ruling party who said the mine had been inspected "vigorously" 11 times since 2009. "Let's learn from this pain and rectify our mistakes. The private sector and the public sector will draw lessons," he said. "This is not the time to look for a scapegoat."

Local miners and union members sharply disagreed.

"It is sad that Turkey is still number one in Europe when it comes to work accidents," said Tamer Kücükgencay, the chairman of the regional miners' union. "This mine was constantly inspected and certified as safe. The investigations into who is responsible for this accident has to start with those inspectors."

In his first press conference since the accident, Akin Çelik, the operating manager of the Soma Coal Mining Company, denied responsibility.

"There was no negligence on our side. I have worked in mines for 20 years, and I have never witnessed such an incident," he said.

Alp Gürkan, the mine's owner, said his company had invested a lot of resources to ensure the safety of workers. "We have spent our income to improve working conditions to avoid possible accidents," he said.

However, Turkish media said a 2010 report by the Turkish Chamber of Architects and Engineers (TMMOB) warned of major safety deficiencies in the Soma mines. Ventilation systems, pre-warning mechanisms and faulty wall supports all presented a serious danger to workers' safety, according to the report.

"No production should be made before the necessary research has been completed. Carrying out production with the lack of experience might lead to disaster," the TMMOB report warned.

Ali, a mining worker of five years who previously worked as a subcontractor in Soma, but is now a coal miner in the Thracian city of Edirne, said work safety was the least important issue in Turkish mines everywhere. "All they care about is profit and an ever increasing output. The subcontractor system makes an already bad issue worse. Miners are probably doing the worst of all in Turkey."

Human rights groups harshly criticised what they called the haphazard attitude of both the Turkish government and the mining operator.

Andrew Gardner, Turkey researcher at Amnesty International, said the disaster could have been avoided.

"The long history of deaths in mines in Turkey raises chilling questions over workers' safety. The fact that the government rejected recent calls by parliamentarians to investigate serious work-related accidents is nothing short of shocking. They are playing with people's lives," he said.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/16/turkey-mine-disaster-teargas-plastic-bullets-protesters

WFTU Mission to Turkey: “Government and Employers are guilty of the crime”

http://www.wftucentral.org/wftu-mission-turkey-government-employers-guilty-crime/

16 May 2014

From today, Friday the 16th of May 2014, a high-level delegation arrived to Istanbul, Turkey to stand on the side of the Turkish working class in these moments of great tragedy caused by the employers’ and the government’s crime at the Soma Coal Mine.

The delegation headed by the WFTU General Secretary, George Mavrikos accompanied by the WFTU Deputy General Secretary, Valentin Pacho and Toum Ferhat, Unionist and Interpreter met with the leadership of DISK headed by its General Secretary Arzu Çerkezoğlu and expressed the condolences on behalf of the 90 million members of the WFTU to the Turkish working class and the solidarity in their struggle.

“The WFTU mission which brings us here together with our Turkish brothers in a tragic moment is a moral and active form of solidarity to the working class of Turkey, to the trade union movement in their struggle against the private-ownership of the mines, for the satisfaction of their demands in safety measures in all workplaces” George Mavrikos stated in front of numerous journalists at the Press Conference held at the DISK Headoffices and added: “We, the trade unions, will not stop in the bargaining for better wages, we will do anything in our power to protect the safety of our members and to struggle for their livelihood”.

The WFTU delegation will remain in Istanbul and continue its meetings with trade union Organizations and acts of solidarity.

ISTANBUL - 04.06.2014 18:16:17
On Wednesday, Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli had separate meetings with several labor unions and civil society organizations as part of their ongoing efforts to select a candidate to run for president in August.

The two opposition leaders say they discussed the qualifications a candidate for president should have, rather than any potential names, during their visits.

Kılıçdaroğlu's first stop was the Confederation of Turkish Real Trade Unions (Hak-İş). He was accompanied by CHP Deputy Chairmen Aytün Çıray and Erdoğan Toprak as well as party Secretary-General Gürsel Tekin. Kılıçdaroğlu has been canvassing civil society groups since last week for their opinions on what they'd like to see in a presidential candidate. Speaking to the media after his meeting with Hak-İş officials, the CHP leader said the presidential candidate should not support the subcontractor system.

Later in the day, he met with the Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER) and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB).

Kılıçdaroğlu said his party does not want to see further polarization ahead of the presidential elections and that it seeks reconciliation. Stressing that he wants to reach out to all voter segments in society, the CHP leader said, “We want to put forward a candidate who will be accepted by everybody as the president of this country.”

MHP leader Bahçeli paid visits on Wednesday to the Turkish Tradesmen and Artisans' Confederation (TESK) and the Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions (TİSK).

Speaking to reporters after his meeting with TESK officials, Bahçeli said they did not discuss any specific candidates for the presidential election during the meeting. “Names mentioned in the media [as possible candidates from the opposition parties] are mere speculation,” he stated. He also said the candidate for president should be a person who will follow a policy that will unite people rather than polarize society.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has not officially announced its candidate, but it is widely agreed that the party will choose current Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as its presidential nominee.

The MHP and the CHP are vehemently opposed to the prime minister becoming president. They strongly criticize Erdoğan for his dismissive discourse toward those who do not vote for the AK Party. They also believe that Erdoğan will not be a suitable president due to the graft allegations leveled at him in the aftermath of a major police operation that was launched on Dec. 17 of last year. There are claims that the prime minister and several of his family members are implicated in corruption and bribery.
The two parties are considering nominating a joint candidate for the presidential election to boost their chances against the AK Party.

Turkey will elect a president by popular vote for the first time in this summer's presidential election. If a candidate receives more than half of the votes in the election on Aug. 10, that candidate will be elected president. If no candidate manages to obtain more than 50 percent of the vote, then the two candidates with the most votes will compete in a run-off election. The candidate who receives the most votes in the run-off will become president and serve a five-year term.

TBB president: Candidates have little time to campaign

Turkish Bar Association (TBB) Chairman Metin Feyzioğlu said on Wednesday that the political parties are already late in announcing their candidates for president and that the candidates will have little time to tour the country and conduct their election campaigns.

According to rules announced by the Supreme Election Board (YSK), the parties have until July 3 to announce their candidates.

“The process [to select candidates] is ongoing. But I find it worth questioning why the political parties have not announced their candidates yet. The delay will make it difficult for voters to learn about the candidates once they are announced,” the TBB chairman noted.

Feyzioğlu was asked by a reporter if he would run in the presidential election in August. “I have been traveling across Turkey for five years. But my travels are not related to a presidential bid. There are bar associations in 79 locations in Turkey. I am traveling to those locations to give lectures,” he replied.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)

http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/Opposition-meets-with-unions-civil-society-groups-about-presidential-candidate_7720-CHMTQ0NzcyMC8xMDA1