An explosion that killed at least 18 workers at a steel plant in western Turkey has sparked protests and demands for accountability, with labor unions blaming unsafe working conditions and an opposition leader calling for two ministers to resign, Turkish media reported.
The November 9 explosion at the HABAŞ iron and steel plant in İzmir’s Aliağa district also injured 12 workers, one critically. The company’s chairman of the board, Mehmet Rüştü Başaran, was detained Tuesday after prosecutors issued detention warrants for 11 people, including senior managers and technical personnel, as part of a criminal investigation into the explosion.
Opposition lawmakers called for a parliamentary investigation into the explosion and the plant’s safety record, while professional associations demanded independent workplace inspections and the prosecution of those responsible.
The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) and the Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK), along with unions representing metalworkers, miners, teachers and municipal employees, blamed the deaths on unsafe working conditions, employers’ pursuit of profits and inadequate government inspections. They demanded a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible.
The Birleşik Metal-İş metalworkers union and the Tüm Bel-Sen municipal workers union also called for production to be suspended until workers’ safety could be guaranteed.
Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), called for the resignation of Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır and senior officials responsible for occupational safety and labor inspections. She also urged labor unions to consider a general strike over workplace deaths.
Main opposition New Party lawmaker Gamze Taşcıer filed a motion calling for a parliamentary investigation into the explosion, the company’s safety record and the Labor Ministry’s inspections. Labor Party lawmakers Sevda Karaca and İskender Bayhan also submitted parliamentary questions about the deaths and previous fatal incidents at the factory.
At least 1,736 workers died in work-related incidents in Turkey during the first nine months of 2026, according to the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG). The group recorded at least 2,105 worker deaths in 2025.
Ali Ekber Çakar, chairman of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), said the investigation should determine the responsibility of both the employer and public authorities. He called for changes to Turkey’s Occupational Health and Safety Law and the creation of an independent national workplace safety body involving labor unions, professional organizations and universities.
Workplace accidents remain a chronic problem in Turkey, where inadequate enforcement of occupational health and safety regulations continues to contribute to worker deaths. Although Turkey brought its workplace safety legislation closer to European Union standards and ratified relevant International Labour Organization conventions, enforcement has remained a major concern.
The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) filed a criminal complaint against company executives and subcontractor officials, seeking an investigation into their possible criminal responsibility for the deaths and injuries and immediate steps to preserve evidence at the scene.
Demonstrations were also held in İzmir and İstanbul, where police detained a total of 10 protesters, all of whom were later released.
Police detained eight people during a demonstration on İstanbul’s İstiklal Avenue, including seven members of the Revolutionary Youth Associations. In İzmir officers detained Ege Workers’ Union representatives Yücel Memiş and Sonay Tezcan after they attempted to make a statement outside Aliağa State Hospital, where injured workers had been taken.
Labor and civic organizations also called for demonstrations Tuesday in İstanbul, İzmir, Ankara, Adana, Bursa and Kocaeli.
Turkey’s record on labor rights has sparked international criticism. The International Trade Union Confederation ranked Turkey among the world’s 10 worst countries for workers in 2026, citing restrictions on strikes, efforts to undermine union organizing and arrests of trade union members.
Meanwhile, a criminal magistrate in Aliağa imposed a reporting ban on coverage of the explosion at prosecutors’ request, prohibiting news reports, interviews, criticism and commentary concerning the incident during the investigation. The court said the restrictions were necessary to prevent misinformation and protect the investigation.
Labor Minister Işıkhan said previous inspections had found no serious safety problems at the plant and that inspectors would investigate possible negligence. HABAŞ said the explosion occurred during scheduled maintenance and that its safety management system underwent regular inspections.
HABAŞ’s 2025 sustainability report recorded 229 workplace accidents resulting in lost workdays, up from 147 in 2024, an increase of nearly 56 percent. Accidents involving subcontracted workers more than doubled, while occupational safety training hours fell by about 87 percent.
The explosion came after two other fatal incidents at the same factory within three weeks. Hakan Doğan, 55, died on October 21 after falling about eight meters, while Eyüp Eğinli, 20, was killed on November 5 when a heavy vehicle tire exploded as it was being inflated.
