Turkish oil refinery TÜPRAŞ workers have striked to protest occupational murder after four workers were killed and two injured on October 11 due to an explosion at an oil refinery in western Turkey.
Workers of the Petroleum, Chemical and Rubber Workers Union (Petrol-İş) working at Aliağa TÜPRAŞ refinery in İzmir have striked to protest the occupational murders that claimed the lives of four workers on October 11.
An investigation was launched by the Aliağa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, and two public prosecutors were assigned to investigate the occupational murder at the refinery. Seven people, including executives of TÜPRAŞ and its subcontractor company, have been detained. Field supervisors and chief technical officers are also among the detainees.
"THE PROFIT OF CAPITALISTS INCREASE WITH THE BLOOD OF WORKERS"
The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), and the Confederation of Public Laborers’ Unions (KESK) have issued a joint declaration regarding the occupational murder at the TÜPRAŞ refinery.
Calling all citizens to join in the collective struggle against the subcontractor system and illegal working conditions, the declaration stated that ‘‘the incident at TÜPRAŞ refinery was not an accident or act of fate, but an occupational murder that occurred due to a series of illegal practices.’’
‘‘The government privatised TÜPRAŞ, then the capitalists subcontracted it and increased the production pressure facing the workers. Workers’ warnings were ignored, while the state of emergency hampered their struggle against poor working conditions. As TÜPRAŞ refinery’s owner Koç Holding increased its profit by 11 times, the workers’ share has been death” the joint declaration also stated.
The declaration underlines that the profit of capitalists increases with the blood of workers. Labor and professional organisations have stated that the operations carried out by the subcontractor company at TÜPRAŞ refinery have not been adequately supervised as necessary by authorities in terms of occupational health and safety. Meanwhile, the responsible parties of the occupational murder and the causes behind it are being concealed.
