Ünder Said It Was Decided at a Meeting With the Workers to Change the Scale of the Action in Türkiye

Workers at Eti Gümüş and Doruk Madencilik mines, who have been protesting in Ankara for 17 days over unpaid wages, said they have reached an agreement with the company on most of their claims. The miners, who have postponed their actions, are now awaiting the completion of calculations and the final protocol. The resistance, held in Ankara over unpaid wages and compensation for workers at Doruk Madencilik and Eti Gümüş mines under Yıldızlar SSS Holding, entered a new phase on its 17th day.

Following negotiations with the company that lasted through the night, it was announced that an agreement had been reached on the majority of the claims. The miners postponed the action and march planned for today, with the final situation expected to be determined after calculations. The Bağımsız Maden-İş union announced that after talks with the holding's delegation that began at 7:00 p.m. yesterday and lasted until 2:30 a.m., an agreement was reached on the bulk of the miners' main claims.

The union's statement said the final situation would become clear after today's meetings and calculations, and that the action and march planned for today had been postponed due to developments. Speaking in front of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources alongside the miners and their families, Bağımsız Maden-İş lawyer Mürsel Ünder said significant progress had been made in the overnight talks with the company. "We are very close, Ünder said, noting that agreement had been reached on the vast majority of the main headings." He said lawyer delegations would discuss economic details and calculations regarding workers' claims with the company throughout the day, and that the final answer would emerge after calculations are completed.

"We are very close to an agreement. We have reached a level where we can discuss the technical details today," he said. The march the miners had planned to make to the Presidency today was also postponed after the talks.

Ünder said it was decided at a meeting with the workers to change the scale of the action. He said the lawyer team would continue talks with the company and the calculation of claims, and that they expected payments to be made to workers' accounts once all claims are finalized. Ünder stressed that the resistance would not end until payments are deposited into workers' accounts.

Today's program for the miners also included Bağımsız Maden-İş General President Gökay Çakır and Organization Specialist Başaran Aksu, who were detained. Ünder said they see the detention of Çakır and Aksu as linked to the critical phase of the resistance, and that although social media posts were cited as the reason, the detentions cannot be considered independent of the resistance process. He said Gökay Çakır's statement would be taken in Soma and Başaran Aksu's in Ankara, and that the miners and their families would go to the Ankara courthouse to follow the process for their release.

Ünder said they expect to make a positive statement about the outcome of the talks after the detained union leaders are released. "After we get our friends back, we think we will very likely give good news tomorrow. We have come very close, Ünder said, thanking the public, the labor movement, and press workers who supported the miners throughout the resistance.

During the miners' action in Ankara, workers and Bağımsız Maden-İş leaders were detained numerous times. On previous days of the action, more than 80 miners were detained on two consecutive days, and it was reported that the total number of detentions reached 7 in 16 days." The Ankara Governorate had also banned actions and events across the city for 15 days while the protests continued. The miners, however, maintained their action in front of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources despite all the pressure.

After the meeting with the ministry, significant progress was made in negotiations with the Yıldızlar SSS Holding delegation. The miners expect the final result on all their claims to emerge after today's calculations. Eti Gümüş workers are demanding the payment of their unpaid wages and severance pay.

Workers who noted that promises were not kept despite an agreement with the company during the resistance process that began in Elazığ are demanding their claims be paid. Doruk Madencilik workers had previously concluded their resistance in Ankara with a victory. However, labor inspection reports also identified wage claims for the period when unpaid leave was imposed, as well as union and whistleblower compensation claims for dismissed workers. The workers are demanding these claims also be paid.