AMED TIMES -CHP deputy for Diyarbakır, Sezgin Tanrıkulu, said in his May Day statement,
We are facing 1 May Day, the day of unity, solidarity and struggle for workers, with an even darker picture this year.
Tanrıkulu pointed to the deaths among Turkish workers, unemployment and economic conditions of workers in his statement. He pointed out that 32,478 workers have lost their lives due to 'preventable causes' since 2002 He pointed out that in the first three months of this year alone, at least 425 work-related deaths were recorded, including 161 in January, 149 in February and 115 in March, totalling at least 425 in three months, which means that at least five workers die every day in work-related accidents. In 2023, at least 1,929 workers lost their lives. In addition, at least 689 children (99 girls, 590 boys) have died at work in the last 11 years, with 80 of these children identified as migrants/refugees.
According to the Workers' Health and Safety Council, at least 32,478 workers have died from 'preventable causes" between 2002 and 2023 under the AK Party government.
the number of unemployed rose by 811 thousand last year
The "Hunger and Poverty Threshold Study" for March 2024, prepared by the DİSK-United Metalworkers Class Research Centre (BİSAM), was published on 15 April. According to the study, the cost of a healthy and balanced diet is over TL 550 per day, the hunger threshold for a family of four is TL 16,000, the poverty threshold is TL 57,000 and the poverty threshold for a person living alone is over TL 25,000.
According to studies by the DİSK Research Centre, the number of unemployed in the broadest sense rose by 811,000 people last year and temporary underemployment by 611,000 people. The unemployment rate in the broadest sense is 24.5% and the unemployment rate for women in the broadest sense is 32.9%.