05.05.2014 İstanbul
Speaking at the opening of the 7th International Work Health and Safety Conference, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that they come from a tradition of employers embracing employees as family, saying, “We bleed inside if the smallest harm comes to them. That is why work safety is paramount for us.”
Emphasizing that harm or loss of life due to negligence is unacceptable
during his speech at the conference which took place at the İstanbul Haliç
Congress Hall, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “As TOBB, that is the mindset we have
worked under until this day. We will continue to provide all of our support to
this process from here on end.”
Stating that they’ve worked and toiled with sweat alongside their
employees in order to prosper, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The Ministry is very
sensitive in regards to this issue. By making a specific work health and safety
law, they have once again shown that they put great value on this issue. As the
business community, we have supported the efforts of the Labor and Social
Security Ministry with the slogan, ‘Prevention is cheaper and more humane than
payment’. From the beginning of the preparations for the Work Health and Safety
Law, we’ve done our best to see that our employees are provided with the best
and safest conditions to work in, as well as ensuring minimal impact for
employers. We have relayed the views of all establishments, industrialists and
traders on every scale. We have worked hand in hand with the ministry.
Truly, thanks to the vision of Minister Faruk Çelik, work has been very
successful. An important leap forward has been made in work health and safety.
Of course, the law entering into effect has not ended our responsibility. We
are working in regards to the introduction of the Work Health and Safety Law,
explaining its importance and to provide information regarding its processes
and procedures.”
Stating the need for prioritizing the establishment of an environment
amicable to SMEs, the backbone of the country’s economy, Hisarcıklıoğlu went on
to stress the need for expanding the Ministry’s support for SMEs employing
under 10 employees to cover establishments employing up to 50 people.
- Labor and Social Security
Minister Faruk Çelik
Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Çelik spoke on various issues
including the ongoing legal process in regards to the prohibition of
syndication at establishments employing less than 30 people; the preventability
of accidents and vocational sicknesses; the findings of the International Labor
Organization’s data.