Turkey is on the first rank in occupational murders in Europe, the third in the world, according to the declaration of Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) on the occasion of the International Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28, also named ‘World Day for Safety and Health at Work’ by ILO.
According to the declaration of TMMOB, the reasons behind the high occupational murder numbers are decreasing employment security, flexible working, outsourcing, heavier working conditions, privatisation, de-unionisation, informal work, heavy exploitation of woman-young-child labour.
According to ILO, every day, 6.3 thousand people die as a result of occupational murders or work-related diseases – more than 2.3 million deaths per year. 317 million accidents occur on the job annually. ILO declared April 28 ‘World Day for Safety and Health at Work’ since 2003.
ALMOST 2 THOUSAND WORKERS KILLED IN 2016
Workers’ Health and Safety Assembly (WHSA) has recently issued a comprehensive report, which indicates that at least 1970 workers were murdered in 2016 in Turkey. 18 thousand workers are estimated to have died due to occupational murders since the beginning of the rule of Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2002.
A HISTORY DATING BACK TO 1914
The significance of April 28 is that it was on this date in 1914 that the Canadian Parliament gave the third reading of the first Workers' Compensation Act in Canada. ‘The National Day of Mourning’ was first declared in 1984 by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). In December 1990, the Workers Mourning Day Act was passed, officially recognizing April 28 as a national observance. ILO declared April 28 ‘World Day for Safety and Health at Work’ since 2003.
