Miners seeking rights to attend AKP's 25th-anniversary rally to address Erdoğan
As the protest by Elazığ Eti Gümüş miners in Ankara enters its third day, the union has submitted its demands to the Ministry; workers plan to attend the rally on Friday.
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The struggle for rights initiated in Ankara by Elazığ Eti Gümüş miners, who are members of the Independent Mine Workers' Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş) and employed by Yıldızlar SSS Holding, continues into its third day. The union management has submitted the workers' demands in writing to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
Bağımsız Maden-İş General President Gökay Çakır and the union's organizing expert Başaran Aksu announced that they had requested a meeting with the Ministry but have not yet received a response. Çakır stated that the Ministry is the address for a solution regarding the workers' outstanding payments and rights, adding that the protest will continue until results are achieved.
Çakır noted that workers from other operations under the same employer also wanted to come to Ankara, but they have kept mass participation limited for the time being. "We know that the solution lies with the Ministry of Energy. We will wait patiently. We will wait until we get a definitive result from the Ministry of Energy," said Çakır, emphasizing the workers' determination.
THEY WILL ATTEND THE RALLY ON FRIDAY
Başaran Aksu announced that the miners plan to attend the AK Party's 25th Anniversary Special Rally, which will be held at the Ankara Başkent Millet Bahçesi on Friday, in order to convey their demands directly to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Aksu said that a delegation consisting of miners and their families would take part in the event.
We will not leave Ankara until the rights of the Eti Gümüş and Doruk Maden workers are secured.
Aksu stated that they would request another meeting with the Ministry, arguing that if the issue cannot be resolved there, the next point of contact will be the Presidency. Aksu alleged that while Erdoğan claimed on May 1st that the mine workers' rights had been paid, the payments have not actually been made.
Criticizing the Ministry of Energy's approach to the union, Aksu stated that Bağımsız Maden-İş is organized at Eti Gümüş and that they hold the majority at Doruk Madencilik. Aksu expressed that meetings to be held with the Turkey Mine Workers' Union (Türkiye Maden-İş) would not be sufficient to resolve the resistance in Ankara.
Aksu also reacted to the Ankara Governor's Office's 15-day protest ban, noting that the workers are continuing their vigil under harsh conditions. Stating that some miners have not been able to shower for days and are sleeping on concrete and grass, Aksu reported that there are also workers over the age of 65 and sick individuals among them.
The union stated that the protest in Ankara will continue until the miners' demands are met, noting that the workers' primary expectation is to sit at the table with official interlocutors as soon as possible and to have their grievances addressed.