The Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Ship Building Industrialists Association (GİSBİR) are teaching the workers of the Tuzla shipyards about work health and security.

We talked to the workers about the training they were receiving during their break.

“The worker already knows, it is the employer who needs to learn”

The workers do not believe that what they learn will prevent the work accidents. They say the workers are already aware of the problem. “It is the employer and the shipyard owners who need to learn. If they try to make the shipyard capacity four boats when it actually is two boats, then the accidents will be inevitable. The problem is that those who work cannot form a structure over the emploeyers to prevent them from pushing the workers to the dangerous limits.”

“If they will train us, then they should do it on the ships”

One of the workers think that the training is for the government to show off.

“Supposedly the cause of the accidents is the lack of training.”

The workers think that what they learn in class does not reflect the work conditions. They believe training on the actual ships they work on would be much more helpful.

“If they are going to train, then they should do it on the ships. I have been working for two years now and there are still places in the ships that I do not know.”

“If I am fired, I will starve”

When we asked them if they would oppose to the work conditions after their training was completed, they all said they could not, since they would be fired.

“I have almost lost my life a few times, but I still cannot oppose the work conditions. If they fire me, I will starve.”

“We are afraid of losing our jobs. We normally work for 40-50 YTL a day (about 15-20 euro), but there are those who will come and work for 25 YTL (about 10-12 euro).

They are receiving training, but they have no insurance

One of the workers sees the social security payments, which the employers are supposed to make, as luxury now, since they now make payments for a few days a month.

“To be a union worker is a reason to lose one’s job. There are accident here everyday, they hide them and they still say lack of training. We are working face to face with death, without any social security, and we still say we are afraid of losing our jobs. Unemployment is high. They will come and work from places such as Dİyarbakır, Muş, Urfa (all provinces in eastern Turkey). We live the 16th century here, not even the 18th ... “(as one of the labor representatives had said previously that they were working under the 18th century conditions). (CU/EZÖ/TB)