İSTANBUL- Health and Safet Labour-March reported that at least 128 workers lost their lives due to coronavirus pandemic between March 11 and May 10, pointing out to the fact that workers continue to work under unhealthy working conditions with no protection.
Health and Safet Labour-March İstanbul announced its second report regarding the conditions of the workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. As it was stated in the report that pandemic is a 'class issue', it was also expressed that the biggest number of cases and death reates are observed in the cities with bir production facilities. Report stated for the second month of the pandemic in Turkey, policies, which protect the capital and force the working class into "mass immunity" caused the pandemic to spread among the work places and workers as well as the living areas of the working class.
Report includes the following statements regardig the paradox between the calls of "stay home" and the production, which has continued during the pandemic non-stop: "In the construction sties, in the fields, in the shipyards and factories workers were forced to work side by side. Due to the failed distribution of masks and the uncontrolled mask sales, people were exposed to the lack of basic protective needs. Together with the May, re-opening public places, especially shopping-malls, the increase in the seasonal workers, re-opening of the businesses, which stopped working for some time show that the pandemic may spread rapidly again. The policies of bringing life to the economic activities under the name of 'normalization' have been accelerated together with the re-opening decision for malls. These circumstances show that the target of the second wave of the pandemic will again be the working class."
The report also shares certain data regarding the workers who lost their lives due to coronavirus: "Among the total number of a 128 workers, who has been reported to had lost their lives, 9 of them are female workers and their age average is 50. At least 15 percent of the workers whe have lost are union members. 60 percent of the workers, that is 78 people, who lost their lives in the first two months of the pandemic due to COVID-19, are from Istanbul and the following cities are Kocaeli, İzmir, Bursa, Ankara, Gaziantep as 23 workers were from various other cities."