KT News:
The pro-Kurd HDP (People’s Democratic Party) has introduced a censure motion to the Turkish parliament against prime minister Tayyip Erdogan and his energy and labor ministers over the Soma mining disaster. At a press conference yesterday, Hasip Kaplan, a HDP deputy, held Erdogan politically responsible for Turkey’s worst-ever mining ‘accident’ which has cost at least 301 miners’ lives.
“Erdogan’s government acted irresponsibly in the rescue mission in the mining disaster,” he said. “We submitted a censure motion on PM Erdogan for his frivolous and oppressive politics in which he also protects those accused in the tragedy.”
Yesterday’s Guardian interviewed a miner who alleged the mine owners and authorities regularly colluded in phoney safety inspections: “Work safety? There is no work safety. They cut corners wherever they can,” he said. “The foremen receive a bonus if we produce more coal than planned. So all they worry about is working faster and extracting more coal.”
A 2010 report by the Turkish Chamber of Architects and Engineers had warned of major safety deficiencies at the Soma mines: “No production should be made before the necessary research has been completed. Carrying out production with lack of experience might lead to disaster,” it said.