The brother-in law of the deceased employee at El Ejido's environmental plant pointed out that they were in the dark.

The brother-in law of the 53 year-old worker died at El Ejido (Almeria), on June 23. He pointed out Monday that the family member was in a precarious position and had not taken preventive steps. This would have resulted in the death of his wife and three children, aged 9 to 14.

After the incident at the CCOO/UGT headquarters in Almeria, the union leaders demanded that the new Andalusian Government "very seriously", more than it had done before, the application of regulations in the area of occupational risk prevention.

Mohamed Atich, a relative, said that the man's brother-in-law worked the night shift for the past 16 years. He stated that the man was working with a flashlight and had no light during the "serious accident".

The man claimed that he always travels at night but works where there is no light. He also stated that he worked for the company for "20 years", and would have been injured in an accident. According to him, he has been out of work for 18 months. He said, "Wherever the boss tells me to go, I will, because we come looking for life." He also explained some of the circumstances that could have prevented the accident.

Officials from the union, who also criticised the death of another man while he was riding a tractor through Alboloduy have stated that there were a total 3,157 accidents at work in Almeria in the first quarter, 425 of which were in itinere. According to his calculations, 22 of these are considered serious while nine have resulted in the death or injury of the worker.

The UGT and CCOO unions are again calling for a social dialog table on occupational injuries to discuss "urgent steps to end this situation". Carmen Vidal, secretary general of UGT, stated that UGT asked for more inspection to verify that the prevention plans were being followed.

CCOO has also made sure that "this accident could not have been avoided", though this requires a higher "investment" from companies in occupational hazards prevention. They explained that "something is wrong here" and said, "It cannot be that we are so smart about the legislation and have so much accidents."

They also called for an "immediate surprise plan" to reduce the risk of psychosocial hazards that were declared the first cause death in the workday. Unions believe it is essential to create a figure at state level similar to the territorial prevention deputy to "strengthen occupational hazards prevention in SMEs where workers are not legally represented" and to improve working conditions. Security and health at work

UGT and CCOO insist on the importance "strengthening Labor Inspection, providing more resources, and the application of stronger sanctions to companies who fail to conform to the regulations on occupational risks prevention."