土耳其工人
Not so safe
不太安全
Turkey's building and mining boom raises questions about workers' safety
土耳其建筑业和矿业的繁荣也给工人们的安全带了了问题
“THAT building was erected on my brother's blood,” Damla Kiyak, a 20-year-old student, declares. Two years ago her 30-year-old brother, Baris, a construction worker, burned to death, with ten others, in a tent on the site of a shopping mall in Esenyurt. This urban sprawl on the outskirts of Istanbul is a symbol of the building boom that is enriching Turkey's businessmen and politicians—and claiming the lives of thousands.
“那座建筑正建立在我兄弟的血肉之上,”年仅20的学生达姆拉·基亚克如是宣称。两年前她30岁的兄长巴里斯与其他10名建筑工人在Esenyurt的购物中心建筑工地的一个帐篷里被烧死。伊斯坦布尔郊区的这种城市扩张现象正是建筑业繁荣的一个标志,这也为土耳其的商人和政客们带来益处,但有数以千计的生命作为代价。
The tent in which Baris died was meant for 50 people, but over 100 were crammed into it. They jammed electric blankets and stoves into a power outlet meant for telephone chargers. The tent was flammable. “Inspectors kept warning the owners that a fire was around the corner. They did nothing,” says Ms Kiyak, whose mother was approached by the firm to buy her silence. A legal fight over negligence by the owner continues.
巴里斯丧命的那个帐篷原本是只能容纳50人,但却被强制塞进了超过100人。他们通过一个原本用作手机充电的插座用来共用电热毯和炉子。帐篷是可燃物。“检察员一直都在警告住户火灾随时都会发生,但他们无动于衷,”基亚克称。公司试图收买她的妈妈使其保持沉默。关于巴里斯所属公司的疏忽的合法控诉还在继续。
At least 14,455 workers have died in industrial accidents since the Justice and Development (AK) party came to power in 2002. “Turkey has the worst worker safety record in Europe,” says Murat Cakir of Yangin Kulesi, an advocacy group. The neglect was revealed by a recent mine explosion in Soma, which killed 302, the highest toll in Turkish history. There was no refuge chamber; oxygen masks did not work; methane leaks and fires occurred daily.
自正义与发展党(AK)于2002年掌权后,至少有14455名工人死于工业事故。“在欧洲,土耳其的工人安全问题最严重,”来自宣传小组Yangin Kulesi的穆拉特·卡吉尔如是说道。这种疏忽因为最近索马的一场矿井爆炸而被揭露出来,那场爆炸致使302人死亡,伤亡人数创土耳其历史最高。在那个矿井里没有救生硐室,氧气面罩也不管用,每天都有甲烷泄漏和火灾发生。
In October in Ermenek, another mining town, 18 miners died when a shaft flooded. “My son doesn't know how to swim,” cried a mother as rescue teams worked. Leaks had been detected, yet the owners did nothing, pushing workers to the limit. Miners talk of being forced to urinate in water bottles to save time.
10月,在另一个矿业城镇埃尔梅内,18名矿工克死于传送轴淹没。“我的儿子不会游泳,”当救援队救援时,一位母亲哀嚎。泄露的隐患早就被检测出来了,但是矿主无动于衷,仍旧将矿工们逼入绝境。矿工们称他们被强迫在水瓶内小便以节省时间。
“Safety inspectors typically tip off owners, palms are greased,” explains Erbay Yucak, a lawyer helping Ms Kiyak. “But previous governments seem less corrupt only because the economy was far smaller.” AK has rammed through laws to punish negligent employers, but Ahmet Davutoglu, the prime minister, concedes that to improve safety “mentalities must change”.
“安全检查员尤其和那些老板们暗中勾结,收取贿赂,”帮助基亚克的一名律师Erbay Yucak解释道:“但是以前的政府没这么腐败只是因为经济没有现在这么发达。”AK强行通过法律来向疏忽的雇主们施压,但是总理艾哈迈德·达甫托鲁承认为了提高安全质量“心态必须做出改变”。
In Esenyurt danger lurks in a high-voltage line near a cluster of new high-rise blocks. “Crime, drugs, pollution, unemployment, ethnic tensions, Syrian refugees. It's all there,” says Ayse Cavdar, a social anthropologist. Esenyurt is a recruiting ground for jihadists, who are said to have been behind arson attacks on two Shia mosques in the summer. “Most people buy these flats online. They have no idea of the dangers,” says Atakan Ciftci, an opposition councillor.
在Esenyurt危险潜伏在一根靠近集群的新高楼街区的高压线中。“犯罪、毒品、污染、失业、种族关系紧张以及叙利亚难民。全都集中在那儿。”社会人类学家Ayse Cavdar称。Esenyurt是圣战者的招募园地,这些圣战者们据说是夏天两起什叶派清真寺纵火案的幕后凶手。“大多数人上网买这些旗帜。他们对危险一无所知,”反对派议员Atakan Ciftci称。
The government is reviving plans for a shopping centre at Gezi Park that triggered lethal protests last year. The president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is building an extravagant new palace in Ankara. The culture ministry wants a madrassa in the courtyard of the Haghia Sophia museum. Might this boost AK's hopes of converting the old church into a mosque?
政府正在重新计划在加济公园一家购物中心,这一计划在去年引发了强烈抗议。总统埃尔多安正在安卡拉修建一座极为豪华的新宫殿。文化部想要在Haghia Sophia博物馆拥有的土地上修建一所伊斯兰学校。这会帮助AK'达成将老教堂转变为一个清真寺的希望吗?译者:邵夏沁 校对:王颖