Occupational Health and Safety
Study on “Contractual arrangements in Turkey’s coal mines” published
This study, which emphasizes the need for a national policy in mining ensuring not only a continued development of Turkey’s national resources, but also the safety and health all workers engaged in the industry, was sponsored by the ILO and was prepared in cooperation with the Turkish Economic Policy Research Foundation (TEPAV)
ANKARA – The multidisciplinary study “Contractual Arrangements in Turkey’s Coal Mines,” which was launched at a tripartite event by the ILO and TEPAV on 18 December 2015 in Ankara, is now available in Turkish and English on the websites of the ILO Office for Turkey and of TEPAV.
A central concluding recommendation of the study is that a coordinated response should be developed to the need both to ensure an efficient continued development and use of Turkey’s natural resources and the safety and health of workers engaged in relevant industries, in particular the mining sector.
With a specific focus on the coal mining industry, the report also underscores the need to review and improve the national governance structures throughout the whole lifecycle of coal mines, i.e. from the licensing stage onwards, to ensure a smooth functioning of the coal industry as well as an improved compliance with relevant OSH standards.
The report also points to the need to increase inclusiveness in the sectoral governance structures in order to ensure that not only the social partners but also non-governmental sectoral bodies such as TMMOB, TOBB, and other civil society organizations are a part of the process.
In the coal industry, the widespread misuse of rödövans contracts has had a negative effect on the working and OSH conditions in mines, according to the report. It is important to address this misuse, as well as the negative impacts on OSH of the fragmentation of responsibilities in regular subcontracting arrangements, according to the report.
The report underscores that it is of utmost importance that workers and their representatives have a voice and are able effectively to exercise their rights in particular in the area of OSH. Ambiguous recruitment systems, which severely restrict their possibility to do so, should be eradicated.
The report also urges action to improve the national capacity to provide standardized first aid, search and rescue trainings; to develop a centralized database on national mining activities and to explore the possibility to use private entities such as insurance companies to support national systems for the monitoring of OSH conditions.
Contractual Arrangements in Turkey’s Coal Mines (Report_English)
A central concluding recommendation of the study is that a coordinated response should be developed to the need both to ensure an efficient continued development and use of Turkey’s natural resources and the safety and health of workers engaged in relevant industries, in particular the mining sector.
With a specific focus on the coal mining industry, the report also underscores the need to review and improve the national governance structures throughout the whole lifecycle of coal mines, i.e. from the licensing stage onwards, to ensure a smooth functioning of the coal industry as well as an improved compliance with relevant OSH standards.
The report also points to the need to increase inclusiveness in the sectoral governance structures in order to ensure that not only the social partners but also non-governmental sectoral bodies such as TMMOB, TOBB, and other civil society organizations are a part of the process.
In the coal industry, the widespread misuse of rödövans contracts has had a negative effect on the working and OSH conditions in mines, according to the report. It is important to address this misuse, as well as the negative impacts on OSH of the fragmentation of responsibilities in regular subcontracting arrangements, according to the report.
The report underscores that it is of utmost importance that workers and their representatives have a voice and are able effectively to exercise their rights in particular in the area of OSH. Ambiguous recruitment systems, which severely restrict their possibility to do so, should be eradicated.
The report also urges action to improve the national capacity to provide standardized first aid, search and rescue trainings; to develop a centralized database on national mining activities and to explore the possibility to use private entities such as insurance companies to support national systems for the monitoring of OSH conditions.
Contractual Arrangements in Turkey’s Coal Mines (Report_English)