Crisis blamed for rising Tuzla deaths

A lawmaker from the Nationalist Movement Party and a former shipyard agrees that the number of safety experts at shipyards has decreased but defends the move by citing the crippling effects of the global financial crisis, saying the industry is facing very tough times The latest excuse being dished out for the extremely high number of deaths caused by work related accidents in the shipyards of Istanbul’s Tuzla district is the effects of the global financial crisis.
As the first casualty of the economic crisis was jobs held by safety experts, the death toll is expected to rise. Salim Sevgili, 30, who worked at Dentaş Shipyard, died a fortnight ago, bringing the total body count in Tuzla to 119 over the past 17 years. Last December, four workers died and another died this January in industrial accidents in Tuzla. Sevgili, who died when he got stuck between hatches of a ship depot he was working on, was buried last Monday.
According to official figures, just 25,000 workers are on the payroll in shipyards in Tuzla, whereas the actual number of workers is estimated to be closer to 35,000. It is said 140 orders for ships have been canceled due to the crisis and at least half of the workers have been laid off.
Shipyards may shut down due to financial problems
A shipyard worker, who chose to remain anonymous, spoke to a reporter from business daily Referans, and said even though safety measures had improved in shipyards, the fatal accident Sunday was due to the reduced number of safety personnel. The worker said they had not been told the ship was docked on a slanted position and that if a job safety expert was present, the accident could have been prevented.
Hakkı Demiral, deputy president of the Limter-İş union and a job safety expert, said work related accidents might increase in Tuzla. "Job safety experts are considered to be people who walk around and do nothing. Shipyard owners prefer workers whose work produces visible results but the end result of such a mentality are these accidents." Demiral added that the crisis had led to the dismissal of many job safety experts, which had resulted in poorer safety levels at shipyards that were never high to begin with.
Ali Torlak, a lawmaker from the Nationalist Movement Party and a former shipyard owner, was also of the opinion that the number of safety experts at shipyards had decreased but defended the move by citing the crippling effects of the crisis. Torlak said it was normal for such accidents to occur in shipyards, "However, the entire staff of safety experts cannot be dismissed. It is beneficial to have at least 15 job safety experts at a shipyard."
The shipyards have another major problem, according to Torlak, "If the government does not take immediate measures soon, shipyards will be bankrupt in 10 to 15 days," he said. Torlak said many shipyard owners had stopped manufacturing and had sent their workers on paid leave for the moment. Torlak said his brother still owned a shipyard. "My brother’s place may be shut down in two months. The industry’s future is dark."