United Metal-Is General President Özkan Atar Reacts to the Government on Fire

Ankara - United Metalworkers Union President Özkan Atar has made a harsh statement on the forest fires that have been raging in the country for weeks, blaming the government for failing to prevent and extinguish the fires. In a post on his social media account, Atar drew attention to the fact that fires are continuing at full speed, especially in Bursa and Karabük.

The Devastating Impact of Fires and People's Struggle

President Atar expressed the devastation caused by the fires and said, "Unfortunately, our forests have been burning all over the country for weeks. The fire is in full swing in Bursa and Karabük. Our people, our villagers are putting their lives on the line and fighting as much as they can." Emphasizing that fires threaten not only natural assets but also human life, villages, animals and the future of the country, Atar expressed his deep sorrow by saying, "We are losing our people, nature, villages, animals and our future before our eyes."

"Natural Disaster Justification Unacceptable, Responsibility lies with the Government"

Özkan Atar made it clear that the fires cannot be explained as a simple "natural disaster" and that the responsibility lies with the political power. Atar said, "No one should take refuge in justifications such as natural disasters. The government, which does not invest in preventive measures and methods that will get quick results in case of fire, and in addition, which paves the way for sabotage with practices such as 2B, etc., is responsible for this tragedy."

Atar asked the following questions in his statement: "Not a single resignation from a single responsible person, not a single sentence of self-criticism..." With these statements, he criticized the lack of any resignation or self-criticism from government officials despite the inadequacy in fighting the fires.

Expectations from Trade Unions on Fires

With this statement, the United Metal-İş Union has demonstrated that the trade union movement bears responsibility not only in the struggle for workers' rights, but also in the face of social and environmental disasters. The union emphasizes that the government must increase its capacity to fight the fires, take stronger preventive measures to protect forests and hold those responsible to account. It calls on the public and relevant institutions to be more sensitive to this issue.