Miners demanding unpaid wages continue protest in Ankara under police blockade on 9th day

The protest in Ankara by mine workers demanding the payment of their wages, severance pay, and other labor claims continued on its 9th day. The workers, who gathered in front of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources under the leadership of the Independent Miners' Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş), were surrounded by a police blockade, as they have been in previous days.

The miners announced that they would not end the protest until their claims are paid in full and that they would request an appointment from the Ministry once again. During the protest, the workers, who struck their helmets against the ground, chanted slogans such as "We are workers, we are right, we will win" and "We are ready to die, but we will not turn back."

"WE ARE HERE UNTIL THE LAST PENNY IS RECEIVED"

Speaking in front of the Ministry, Independent Miners' Union Board Member Volkan Çetin said that attempts were being made to break the resistance by making partial payments to some workers. Çetin emphasized that they would not take a step back until the claims of all workers are paid.

"Those who think they will break us by making such small, partial payments to some of our friends are mistaken. We will not leave this protest until we receive the last penny."

Stating that they would request a meeting with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources again, Çetin said, "We want results now. We are tired too."

A Doruk Mining worker who took the floor during the statement drew attention to the patience of the miners. Expressing that a miner working underground is cut off from the world for hours, the worker explained that they would not give up on their demands with the words, "We know what patience is."

The same worker argued that the Ministry was a guarantor of the previously reached agreement and said that it should take responsibility for the collection of salaries, severance pay, and personal rights.

UNION OFFICIALS IN CUSTODY

Police intervened in the miners' protest the previous day in the evening hours; Independent Miners' Union Chairman Gökay Çakır, the union's organizing expert Başaran Aksu, and some unionists in the area were taken into custody. It was reported that Çakır and Aksu spent the night in detention and remain in custody.

The background of the protest lies in the unpaid claims of Doruk Mining workers. The workers state that they received their salaries and severance pay in June as a result of their resistance, but that unpaid leave and other compensation claims have still not been paid.

After the miners began the protest, representatives of the Independent Miners' Union met with Sabahattin Yıldız, the owner of Yıldızlar SSS Holding; it was reported that Yıldız said all of the workers' claims would be paid within two weeks. The union, however, announced that they would not leave Ankara until the payment was made.

In previous protests moved in front of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, more than 80 mine workers were taken into custody and later released. During this process, the Ankara Governor's Office also declared a 15-day ban on protests throughout the city.

News Source: 12punto