At Least 878 Workers Die in 2012, Report Says

Assembly for Worker Health and Safety, an Istanbul based worker advocate organization, released its monthly report on reported work casualties in Turkey.

At least 76 workers were reported to have died at work in December 2012 while the total number of worker casualties reached 878 in the entire year, the report said. "In 2012, most worker casualties happened in Istanbul (103), Izmir (39), Ankara (34), Adana (32), Konya (30) and Bursa (28) provinces respectively."

The report listed construction as the top working sector leading to casualties with at least 279 dead workers in 2012 due to falls. "In agriculture sector, most of the 90 casualties were Kurdish workers who temporarily moved to west and north."

The report also highlighted the importance of energy sector for Turkey's economy, where at least 86 workers lost their lives at work. "Only in Afşin district in the southeastern Turkey, we lost 81 of our friends on a mine accident. We couldn't even reach their bodies for funeral."

"Lack of security and unionization," the report continued, "are the main causes of the increase in casualties."

"Most of the workers are just contracted and deprived from their rights of unionization. The pressures against worker movements mark as one of the leading causes for the job insecurity."

The report criticized the recently implemented bill on worker health and security, saying that it didn't aim to protect workers. "Especially the months following the bill implementation was remarkable with the rising number of work casualties in Turkey. This is a proof of how the government's promises on job security were utterly dull." (NV)