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41 Miners Killed In Amasra

Turkey was shaken by the news that 41 workers lost their lives, and many others were injured in a coal mine accident in Amasra district of Bartin. In the Asmara coal mine of the Turkish Hard Coal (TTK), 41 of the 90 workers who were inside the mine lost their lives because of the explosion at around 18:15 on 14 October 2022, which was a new indicator of the value not given to the lives of workers working in mines.

Many state officials, especially Erdoğan, and opposition parties did not delay in making statements about how sorry they were. Especially in connection with the election process in Turkey, they are in a race to create public opinion in their favour over the miners who lost their lives. Massacres in the mines in Turkey continue The importance given to the health and safety of mineworkers in Turkey can be seen in the mine accidents that occur every year. Since most of the mines are under the supervision of the state or privatised and sold to companies close to the government, these accidents occur because the necessary supervision and safety measures are not taken sufficiently. The failure to take these precautions has been revealed once again in Amasra In the audit carried out by the Court of Accounts in 2019 at the mine in Amasra; although it was reported that the gas content was high in the working veins, the risk of sudden gas explosion increased, the number of workers was reduced to a dangerous extent, and the malfunctions were not eliminated, no change was made. According to other audits of the Court of Accounts, it was reported that there were 190 work accidents in 2019 and 164 in 2020 at the Amasra mine. Similarly, hundreds of workers have lost their lives in mining accidents in recent years due to insufficient precautions. For example, 301 workers lost their lives as a result of a fire in a mine in Soma district of Manisa on 13 May 2014. On 28 October 2014, 38 workers lost their lives in a lignite coal mine in Ermenek district of Karaman due to flooding. On 17 November 2016, 16 workers lost their lives in an accident in a copper mine in Şirvan district of Siirt. These are only a few examples of accidents in mines in Turkey's history, in which hundreds of workers have lost their lives. Those who kick miners on the ground cannot eliminate victimisation Immediately after the explosion in the mine, the government made one statement after another, almost trying to cover up the accident. In his statement, Erdoğan said that he would "not allow victimisation and embrace the families", but he thinks that the workers have forgotten how the miners were kicked in Soma in the past. Likewise, the families who lost their relatives in the Soma mine massacre know very well that it is a big lie that it will not allow victimisation. The whole public closely followed how they were dragged on the ground with tear gas and water cannons during their march to Ankara for their demands, let alone the fact that they could not get the compensation of their relatives they lost for years. The public is well aware of the fact that Yusuf Yerkel, who was part of the delegation, kicked the workers on the ground in front of the eyes of Erdoğan, who visited them during the Soma massacre, despite the reaction of the workers who survived the accident, and that he was almost rewarded, let alone punished, and appointed as the Commercial Attaché to the Consulate General in Frankfurt with a high monthly salary. Mine workers have never forgotten and will never forget how Erdoğan defended the massacre by saying "it is in the fate of this work" in reference to the Soma massacre. We Have Not Forgotten the Massacres of Workers, We Will Not Let You Forget! The history of the fascist Turkish Republic is a history of massacres in many aspects. Massacres, especially against workers and labourers, are also part of this history. Dozens of workers lose their lives every year in mines, constructions, factories and shipyards. Workers' demands for rights, strikes, and even marches demanding peace are constantly attacked by the fascist Turkish Republic. An example of this; on 10 October 2015, 103 workers were killed in the bombs detonated during the march of workers in Ankara for peace demands. As ATİK; We commemorate our fellow workers who lost their lives in the mine explosion in Amasra, we express our condolences to their families and fellow workers. We call on the trade unions and democracy forces in Europe to fight together for the accountability of the massacre of workers in Amasra. We will not forget the Amasra mine massacre, we will not let it be forgotten!