‘Unhealthy Working Conditions, Occupational Homicides, Long Working Hours in 3rd Airport’

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The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) presented its report regarding the working conditions and workers' rights violations in the construction of the 3rd Airport in İstanbul today (September 28).

In the introduction to the report, the 3rd Airport has been referred to as "a prototype of the exploitation construction sites of the AKP (Justice and Development Party), which have turned into concentration camps".

The report has also provided detailed information regarding the protests staged by the 3rd Airport workers due to bad working conditions and occupationa homicides, the operation conducted by the security forces against the protesting workers and their ensuing arrest.

The report was shared with the public at a press conference held in the Parliament by HDP MPs Dilşat Canbaz, Murat Çepni, Oya Ersoy, Züleyha Gülüm, Serpil Kemalbay, Kemal Peköz and Rıdvan Turan.

At least 37 occupational homicides

The report, which has detailed the impacts of 3rd Airport on the environment, has referred to it as "an ecological and environmental disaster."

According to the report, which has stated that the rights of the workers have been systematically violated since 2014, when the construction of the airport started, at least 37 occupational homicides have taken place in the construction site of the 3rd Airport.

The report has also shown that the average work time of a worker is 12 hours a day, which can reach 14 hours when their duration of transportation is also included in the count.

The report has stated that the workers have been expected to work at a pace that can be considered against the human nature.

"The law has been eliminated"

Reminding that 543 workers were taken into custody on September 15 in raids conducted to their dormitories at night with their doors being broken down, the report has also emphasized that workers were detained by being battered and without the necessary health checks.

The report, which has stressed that the detained workers could also not use their right to speak to an attorney, has stated that this style of intervention has "eliminated the law."

In the report, the demands of the workers have been repeated and a call has been made for the release of the arrested workers, fulfilment of their demands and provision of their work safety and job security. (TP/SD)