Workers protest in Soma
MANİSA (DİHA) - After the incident in a coal mine in Soma which left 301 workers dead, mineworkers took the streets to demand the transfer of mines into public hands. Mineworkers after expressing their demands, joined DİSK (Revolutionary Public Workers Union) as a reaction against Türk-Iş.
The workers walked to the center of the town with the support of their families and started marching over the building of Turkish coal. They chanted slogans such as “workers is here, where are the murderers". The workers said, “we are both mining and dying, but the murderers are staying in the luxury constructions with natural gas.” A woman whose son is working in the mine stated that “there is no value attached to human being, all that is for them is money.”
Joining DİSK
The mine workers left Türk-İş which they believe is actually doing the interests of the employers and joined DİSK.
Demands
Workers’ demands are that mines have to be taken from the private coorporations and be transferred to Turkish coal, the state has to make provision for workers life and safety, subcontracting has to be abandoned and murderers have to be punished. Workers stated that until their demands are not met, they will not work in mines.
(nt)
