ISTANBUL - The İSİG Council stated that the pandemic was a death decree for workers, and that 249 workers, 19 of whom were women, lost their lives in April.

 

Istanbul Occupational Health and Safety Council (İSİG) published a report on workplace homicides in April. It was noted in the report that at least 249 workers lost their lives, 39 in Istanbul and 12 in Kocaeli. It was shared that at least 735 workers lost their lives in the first four months of the year.

 

Turkey is among the 10 worst countries for workers

 

In the report, which emphasized that with the "full lockdown" process imposed due to the pandemic, the government provided its living with the labor of workers. According to the research of the Revolutionary Trade Unions Confederation Research Center (DİSK-AR), 23,000,000,000 TRY was transferred to employers during the epidemic period. 11,000,000,000 TRY in cash wage support was paid to 2,600,000 million workers. In the report, which stated that "full lockdown" was not a 17-day crisis for the working class, but a summary of the pandemic, it was emphasized that Turkey is among the 10 worst countries for employees in the 2020 Report of the International Trade Union Confederation.

 

Demands

 

In the report, which pointed out that the emerging crisis can only change with a joint struggle, the demands are listed as follows:

 

"* Prohibition of dismissal should be extended, and unlawful practices in which bosses dismiss workers through means such as Code-29 should be ended.

 

* Personal hygiene and protection materials should be distributed to workers free of charge. Health screening and contact follow-up of workers should be intensified and workplaces should be audited.

 

* The decisions and measures taken should be implemented and sanctioned not in a part of the public, but in the private sector, the informal sector and workplaces with less than 50 employees. An active notification, inspection and punishment mechanism should be established for workplaces where necessary precautions are not taken.

 

* Health should be made free and accessible to all. All health services, especially tests, should be provided free of charge in public and private hospitals. Let the worker and her/his relative quarantined due to the virus be within the scope of the sickness period and prevent the loss of income during this period.

 

* All employees should be included in the vaccination process and vaccination should be carried out immediately. Let the public benefit be considered, not the profit of the pharmaceutical companies. Patent rights on vaccines for public health should be abolished."

 

19 of the dead were women workers

 

The report, which was informed that 63 percent of the 249 workers who lost their lives in April were learned from the national press, 37 percent from the local press, workers’ colleagues, families, occupational safety experts, workplace physicians, professional organizations and trade unions: “At least 203 workers lost their lives in January, at least 139 workers in February, at least 144 workers in March and at least 249 workers in April. 214 of 249 workers are wage earners and 35 are self-employed. 19 of the dead were women workers, 230 were male workers. Women workplace homicides took place in agriculture, trade, education, healthcare and municipal businesses. Eight ‘children’ workers died. Child labor deaths occurred in agriculture, construction and accommodation businesses. There are 95 workers aged 51 and over who died while working. 11 migrant/refugee workers lost their lives. Five are Syrians, five are Pakistani and one is Bulgarian. 24 of the dead workers are unionized. It was said that unionized workers worked in mining, chemical, education, office, metal, shipbuilding, health, and municipal business lines.

 

Ages of those who lost their lives

 

In the report, which stated that the most common causes of death were epidemic, dent, traffic accident, falling from height, and drowning, four in the age group of 14 and under, four in the 15-17 age group, 17 in the 18-27 age group, 114 in the 28-50 age group, 77 in the 51-64 age group, 18 in the 65 and over age group, and 15 workers whose age could not be learned lost their lives.