“For a long time now, the lack of security measures in Turkish coal mines has been at the centre of polemics. Last year, 93 miners died in various mines across the Country. Last November, 300 miners shut themselves at the bottom of the Zonguldak mine, in the Black Sea region – where in 1992 an explosion had killed 263 men and in May 2010 30 more had died in the same way – in order to protest against the plant's insufficient security measures.Two weeks ago, the main opposition party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu's Chp, asked in Parliament for an inquiry on security in the Soma mine itself. The proposal was turned down by the Akp, which has the absolute majority in Ankara's Great Assembly” (from the Italian daily “La Repubblica”, 5/14/2014).
Faced with the umpteenth butchery of proletarians (more than 300 dead in the Turkish coal mine of Soma – among them several boys working there “illegally”), what else can be said other than what we communists have never ceased to say in the past 150 years, on the growing destructivity of the capitalist mode of production? on the butcheries committed in the name of profit? on the impossibility of “reforming the system”? on the necessity of overthrowing it?
Tears and indignation everywhere, of course. But the “lack of security measures” is a law of the capitalist mode of production, which forces every entrepreneur, both private and public, to reduce outlay as much as possible. He buys the labour force commodity and, having bought it, commands it for his own use: he squeezes as much as he can out of it, in order to draw plus labour/plus value from it, eliminating all that is superfluous and increases the costs of production – on pain of his ruin on the marketplace.
In particular, in the mining sector as well as in agriculture, the law of the worst soil is in force: the market price is established according to the single price of production of the least fertile soil (or the least productive mine), which can yield only average profit, over and above outlay. Antiquated mines, lacking security measures or technological devices, and less productive – why not shut them down? Because the least productive mine regulates the general market. And it does not matter if from time to time the blackdamp explodes or some gallery collapses! With placid cynicism, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan pronounced an economic law when he said: “Accidents are a normal occurrence”. Yes, the normality of “Slaughterhouse Capitalism”.
Meanwhile, out of the tragedy, arose the wrath of the proletariat: street riots in Smirne, besieged authorities, and widespread, dumb anger. That legitimate wrath must be gathered and organized – and led against the capitalist mode of production itself. To throw it in the dustbin of history – where it cannot kill any more.
International communist Party
