TKP holds protest following death of miners

TKP members gathered in front of Alsancak Railway Station and marched to the İzmir headquarters of İmbat mining company, where they held a statement.

Speaking on behalf of the provincial organisation, TKP Central Committee member Savaş Sarı said the deaths highlighted continuing concerns over occupational safety and working conditions in Turkey. Referring to the five workers who died while working underground, Sarı argued that the deaths could have been prevented if technical requirements and necessary safety measures had been properly implemented.

Sarı criticised the explanation that such deaths were an unavoidable feature of mining and linked the incident to what he described as a system in which workers bear the costs of production. He said that the detention of nine people and subsequent judicial proceedings in Soma would not, on their own, address the broader issues surrounding the incident.

The TKP called for the immediate nationalisation of İmbat mining company and argued that all mines should be brought under public ownership, with production organised in accordance with the public interest. The party also called for the assets of those responsible for maintaining exploitative conditions to be seized and for the state to guarantee the safety and labour rights of mine workers.

At the end of the protest, TKP members placed photographs of the five deceased workers and miners' helmets at the entrance of İmbat Madencilik's company headquarters in Alsancak. Sarı named the workers as Halit, İsa, Kerim, Ramazan and Ömer and pledged that the party would continue to raise their cases and commemorate them.