'Soma is an organized massacre in which political ruling is the main responsible'
ANKARA (DİHA) - Work Security Expert and KESK/ESM former General Head Kemal Bulut defined the disaster in Soma that claiming lives of 301 mineworkers as "an organized massacre in which the political ruling is responsible."
The Soma coal mine, where 301 workers lost their lives in a May 13 disaster, received a “perfect” score in March by an official inspector, who is the brother-in-law of a senior executive of the company. Labor chief inspector Emin Gümüş last inspected the mine in the western province of Manisa on March 13, 14, 17 and 18. Noting that 2,948 people were working in the mine, including 2,938 who were identified in the inspection as working “very dangerous” jobs, Gümüş reported that “no shortcomings were found in the scheduled inspection.”
Soma mine inspected, approved by executive’s brother-in-law
Gümüş is married to the sister of Hayri Kebapçılar, the Project and Studies Manager of the Soma mine. “Even if an inspector is commissioned to work in a mine where one of your relatives works, he should put aside this relationship by revealing faults,” an expert, stressing that inspecting the electrical equipment alone should usually take more than a month.
Gümüş was commissioned by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security to inspect the Soma mine again after the deadly accident, but he was withdrawn after rumors about his relations with the mine manager were spread. Labor Minister Faruk Çelik has said that those who inspected the Soma mine bear “personal responsibility” for the disaster. The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) has filed a criminal complaint against several managers of the Soma mine, including Kebapçılar.
(nt)
