As the workers and class oriented unions in all over the world remember with a deep sorrow, 301 miners were massacred in a so called “occupational accident” in Soma, Turkey on 13 May, 2014. Indeed, it was literally a massacre committed jointly by the employers and Turkish Government due to the lack of job security and undignified working conditions in Soma Mines.

The WFTU and Nakliyat-İş Union promptly responded against this massacre organizing some concrete events in Turkey and founding a monitoring committee to follow the developments about the incident closely.

During the protests taken place after the killing of 301 miners in Soma, journalists took a terrific photograph of Yusuf Yerkel, who was then the deputy chief of staff to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while kicking a protesting mine worker. This photograph went viral on the internet and many people witnessed and condemned Yusuf Yerkel’s brutal attack on the protesting workers.

The same person, Yusuf Yerkel has now been appointed as commercial attaché in Germany by the Turkish Government last week. According to the reports, Yerkel, will be paid 6,000 euro (approximately 93,000 lira) monthly and benefit from many other privileges. It means Yusuf Yerkel has been rewarded for his anti-worker attitude!

Nakliyat-İş, a member of the WFTU showed the first reaction against this unjust appointment organizing a protest action at Consulate General of Germany in Istanbul with the participation of Bağımsız Maden İş Union and mine workers from Soma.

Ali Rıza Küçükosmanoğlu, a Presidential Council Member of the WFTU made a press release and pointed out that such a person as Yusuf Yerkel who committed physical violence against the workers could never be appointed in such a position. In the protest action, Soma miners also took the floor and expressed their rage against Yusuf Yerkel and this unacceptable appointment.

Nakliyat-İş

Trade Union of Revolutionary Workers of Land, Airway and Railway Workers of Turkey