TEKGIDA-İŞ Union Sounds the Alarm: Terrible Balance Sheet in Work Killings

ANKARA - While Turkey remains at the top of Europe in terms of occupational homicide statistics, unions draw attention to the lack of supervision in the field of worker health and safety. TEKGIDA-İŞ Union shared the September 2025 data of the Worker Health and Occupational Safety (OHS) Assembly and revealed the grave picture in the country. According to the data, in the first nine months of the year (January-September 2025), at least 1,566 workers lost their lives as a result of occupational homicides.

206 Casualties in September: Emphasis on Earthquake Cities and Agriculture Sector

According to the ISIG Assembly reports, at least 206 workers lost their lives in September 2025 alone. In the sectoral distribution of these deaths, agriculture was at the top, with losses from seasonal agricultural labor and farming. A total of 49 workers, including 27 farmers and 22 agricultural workers, lost their lives in agriculture. The sector with the second highest number of fatalities was construction with 43 deaths.

In a more detailed sectoral analysis, 64 workers lost their lives in industry, 49 in agriculture, 49 in the service sector and 44 in construction.

Geographic Distribution and Earthquake Impact

Occupational homicides have spread to different regions of Turkey. The highest number of worker deaths occurred in Istanbul, Antalya, Diyarbakır, Tekirdağ, İzmir, Hatay, Trabzon, Aksaray, Denizli, Mersin, Şanlıurfa, Ankara, Manisa and Sakarya respectively.

One of the most striking details in the report is that 35 percent of the deaths in September occurred in earthquake-hit cities where heavy destruction and reconstruction are still ongoing. This rate points to the urgency of working conditions and the high risks in the region.

9 Children and 9 Migrant Workers Died

The most tragic figures were recorded in the deaths of child and migrant workers. Of the 206 workers who lost their lives in September, 9 were children. Five child labor deaths occurred in agriculture, two in trade, one in food and one in metal. This situation once again showed that urgent steps need to be taken to prevent child labor.

At least 9 migrant workers (four from Syria, two from Egypt, one from Moldova, one from Turkmenistan, one from Ukraine) also died in September. Migrant workers often lost their lives while working in the most risky industries; three in construction, two in metal, two in general labor, one in textiles and one in shipping.

TEKGIDA-İŞ Union stated that these data show the inadequacy of occupational health and safety measures, the lack of inspections and the continuation of the impunity policy, and called on the authorities to take radical measures to stop occupational homicides.