We Are in a Strong Cooperation With All the Actors of the Working Life
Within the scope of the grant component of the Improving Occupational Health and Safety Especially in Mining Sector Project (MISGEP) with a budget of EUR 17.6 million, where the Directorate General of Occupational Health and Safety is the Operation Beneficiary and the Directorate of European Union and Financial Assistance is the Contracting Authority, we held the opening meeting of “Increasing Safety and Security through Labour-Management Partnership Project” with the Association of Academicians Union on 30 June 2021.
The opening speeches of the meeting were made by the President of the Association of Academicians Union Prof. Dr. İsmail ŞAHİN, the Chief Advisor to the Chairman of the Turkey Mine Workers Union Mr. Ertuğrul Ensar BAYRAK, the Rector of Gazi University Prof. Dr. Musa YILDIZ, and the Director General of Occupational Health and Safety Mr. Cafer UZUNKAYA.
In his speech, Mr. Cafer UZUNKAYA stated that it is very meaningful that this project aims to improve the safety culture in mines and reduce the fatality and injury rates in mining accidents and congratulated the Association of Academicians Union, which is the project coordinator, in this regard.
Mr. Cafer UZUNKAYA emphasized that occupational health and safety is not only an issue under the responsibility of the Ministry, but also it is a field concerning the whole country, 84 million citizens, and stated that this is our common duty as actors of working life. Mr. Cafer UZUNKAYA pointed out that occupational health and safety will develop further as all parties, whether public or private, will take responsibility, and he added that we act in line with this understanding and that we are in a strong cooperation with all actors of working life.
The Rector of Gazi University Prof. Dr. Musa YILDIZ pointed out that the key concept in occupational health and safety is to be cautious. He stated that this project regarding labour-management partnership is extremely important in terms of ensuring the participation of all parties in the culture of occupational health and safety.
The Chief Advisor to the Chairman of the Turkey Mine Workers Union Mr. Ertuğrul Ensar BAYRAK emphasized the importance of strong cooperation and further development of a safety culture in occupational health and safety.
The President of the Association of Academicians Union Prof. Dr. İsmail ŞAHİN emphasized that the mining sector inherently harbors great risks and stated that the cooperation of civil society, universities, and the public in this project to raise occupational safety standards will contribute to occupational health and safety.
The opening meeting was concluded with the wishes of making the maximum effort and disseminating the project outputs in order to achieve the objective of “Increasing Safety and Security through Labour-Management Partnership Project”, whose target group is underground and surface mine employees, mining engineers, mining engineering students, and inspectors and experts who work in public sector and which aims to improve the safety culture in mines and reduce the fatality and injury rates in mining accidents.