CHP delegation supports striking workers

Workers at the Eti Krom Yıldırım A.Ş mines in the Alacakaya district of Elazığ launched a protest after giving management a deadline to meet their demands for various rights.

Three days ago, Ali Rıza Yıldırım, the owner of Eti Krom A.Ş., met with the workers to hear their demands. When he said, "I will put everyone out on the street tomorrow," and a worker replied, "The work is your work," Yıldırım's response—"Don't answer me. You will speak when I give you the right to speak. I will make this place zero, and tomorrow I will lock the gate. This place was locked under the state. It wasn't making money, nor was it losing money. I bought this place and brought it to this state"—drew widespread backlash. Following these events, CHP Deputy Chairman Deniz Yavuzyılmaz, CHP Elazığ Deputy Gürsel Erol, CHP Tekirdağ Deputy İlhami Özcan Aygun, CHP Karabük Deputy Cevdet Akay, and their accompanying delegation met with the workers who have been on strike at the Eti Krom A.Ş. mining sites for 14 days. The delegation met with the workers and their representatives to listen to their problems and demands one by one.

"THIS MINE IS NOT YOUR FATHER'S PROPERTY"

Stating that they came to Elazığ to resolve the grievances of the Eti Krom mine workers, CHP Deputy Chairman Deniz Yavuzyılmaz said, "We have come to Elazığ as a delegation. We are currently at the operation site to defend the rights of our mine workers and to ensure that the problem is resolved. We have met one-on-one with our mine workers and their representatives here. We also met with employer representatives."

Expressing that the workers are demanding an interim raise due to inflation, Yavuzyılmaz said, "They did not ask for this to live in luxury or to become very rich. The salary they receive is already just slightly above the minimum wage level. It is impossible for them to make ends meet; these friends of ours did not make a demand out of whim. However, one of the partners of Yıldırım Holding made a statement in a meeting with the workers regarding these demands that deeply saddened, hurt, and angered all of Turkey by saying, 'If necessary, we will close the mine and fire you.' It became necessary for us to give him the required response to this speech. The national wealth beneath the mining operation we are currently standing on and talking about belongs to the state. Only the right to operate has been granted to the company for a certain period through privatization. Therefore, if the company says, 'I can crush or exploit the workers a little more because I feel like it,' or uses 'I can close this mine and stop production whenever I want' as a justification, what we have to say to him is this: You cannot stop production at this mine. You cannot close this mine. This mine, its reserves, and its chromium are not your father's property."