On May 13 2014, Soma, a mining town in Manisa district of Turkey, turned into a crime scene where hundreds of miners were killed following an explosion that trapped miners in a private mine operated by Soma Coal, a company whose bosses are known to have very close relationships with the ruling Justice and Development party, AKP. Before emergency and medical teams were sent to the scene, AKP made sure that large numbers of military and police were deployed to the town to suppress potential protests in the region.
While there were still hundreds of miners still trapped in the mine, AKP officials initially tried to hide the true number of dead. Initial statements stated that there were only 5 dead but as the night progressed, news from the local sources put the figure much higher. As of today (May 17th), the official death-toll stands at 301 and while AKP government claims that there are only 2-3 miners still trapped in the mine, the final death-toll is believed to be close to 400. The fact that the precise number of miners who are missing cannot even be determined is a testimony to the unsafe operating procedures in the mine.
A Neoliberal love story, SOMA Holding and AKP
Soma Coal is owned by Soma Holding Mine Enterprises whose management is known to have very deep relations with AKP officials. In the recent local elections in March 2014, the wife of the General Manager of Soma Holding, Melike Doğru was elected to the Soma Municipal Council in AKP’s ranks. It is not a surprise that Soma Coal was the supplier of the charity packages distributed by the AKP during the recent local elections which also contained coal bags.
In an interview he gave in 2012, Soma Holding CEO Alp Gürkan was boasting that while a ton of coal from the mine cost $130-140 under the state-run TKİ (Turkish Coal Enterprises), when they took over the operation of the mine from the state in 2005 as a subcontractor, they could guarantee a cost of no more than $23.8 per ton.
It is no mystery that the reduction in costs and the explosion in profits for the company is the result of lack of proper safety measures, regular maintenance, lack of proper job training and last but not the least ruthless capitalist exploitation of labor (SOMA miners make about $600 a month). Murderous neoliberal economic policies of the AKP government and its corresponding work practices enforced by Soma Holding are the true causes behind this recent massacre which killed hundreds of workers.
Only two weeks ago, on April 29th, a proposal of investigation about the working conditions into work accidents in Soma the town proposed by the opposition in the parliament was blocked by majority AKP votes.
World Federation of Trade Unions on the murderous policy in the mines of Turkey
WFTU released a statement on May 16th, expressing that what happened in Soma was no accident and that this was not an individual case, pointing out dozens of occupational and fatal accidents that occur throughout the year in the mines of Turkey. The WFTU denounced the Government of Turkey and the companies exploiting the mines for their murderous lack of safety measures and demanded the end of privatization of the people’s wealth, the natural resources, the modernization of the technology used in the mines, the immediate implementation of safety controls and the application of all necessary measures in all mines to protect the lives of the working people.
Erdogan goes back to 19th century: “These accidents are typical”
In a press conference he held in Soma, PM Erdogan stunned the listeners by his response to a question by a journalist who asked “How was this mine allowed to operate? Who is responsible here?” After farcically citing numbers from mining disasters in 19th and early 20th century, the PM brazenly concluded his response: “These accidents are typical incidents in the mining sector, look at the U.S., with all the technology and all that, 1907, 361 dead.”
During Erdogan’s speech outside Soma Municipality building, the crowd started whistling and booing him, shouting “Government resign!” While Erdogan’s police was violently dispersing the protesters, Erdogan continued his speech calling the protesters “immoral.”
AKP officials are not welcome in Soma, PM is captured on tape punching a protester
Video footage of the PM Erdogan has emerged showing the PM attacking the protesters. In the footage, PM’s car is stopped by an angry crowd shouting “Resign! Murderer! Thief! “. The PM ended up having to find refuge in a supermarket as he was jostled by the protesters. In the footage, the PM is seen punching one of the protesters as he calls him “Come here, you spawn of Israel.” After being hit by the PM, the video footage also shows the protester being beaten badly by his bodyguards afterwards. According to eyewitness reports, after entering the supermarket, Erdogan also allegedly punched a teenage girl repeatedly after she yelled at him, “What is the murderer of my father doing here?”
Another widely circulated photo shows one of Erdogan’s advisors, Yusuf Yerkel, kicking a protester as he is held down by the riot police. Yerkel shamelessly defended his actions, alleging that the man was “a militant left-wing demonstrator who had come to Soma specifically to cause disturbances.
Protests erupt in Soma and all over Turkey
Anti-AKP protests attended by thousands have erupted across Turkey. Police used teargas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse crowds. In Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, protests attended by thousands continued throughout the whole across multiple neighborhoods, protesters clashed with the police which used teargas, water and rubber bullets in an effort to disperse the crowds. In İzmir, the police attempted to detain a 10-year-old child.
On Friday, May 16th, relatives, co-workers and friends of the miners took to the streets in the thousands in Soma to denounce the AKP government, shouting “Government resign!” “Murderers!”, “People of Soma, show your solidarity with the miners.” Pointing to the market where the PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan had attacked a protester the day before, the people shouted the police “Where were you when Tayyip was punching people?” The police attacked the crowd with the usual combination of teargas and water cannons. There were reports of injuries.
Also on May 16th, students of Istanbul Technical University (ITU) occupied the Faculty of Mining Engineering where the CEO of Soma Holding Alp Gürkan is a board member. The students stated that the occupation will continue until Gürkan is taken off the board, the rectorship publicly releases a statement that what happened in Soma was murder, not an accident and until the subcontracting practies in the university is abolished.
The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK), the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK), and the Chamber of Architects and Engineers (TMMOB) called for a one day general strike on May 15th.
Statement by the Communist Party of Turkey on the massacre of miners in Soma
The Communist Party of Turkey released a statement on May 16th. The statement notes that AKP government and its whole basis is illegitimate and calls on all the deputies of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to leave their posts in the parliament in order to bring the government down.
The statement also makes the following demands:
1. The true death-toll of the miners should be released immediately
2. The PM should resign and be put on trial immediately
3. Ministers of health, energy and labor should resign and be put on trial
immediately
4. The owner and the management of the company running the mine should be
arrested on charges of premeditated murder and brought to justice
5. The system of subcontracting should be abolished
6. All mines should be nationalized immediately
Communist Party of Turkey
Central Office
