Metalworkers show solidarity with striking miners demanding unpaid wages

Workers from the Birleşik Metal-İş union staged solidarity actions in factories across Turkey to support miners from Doruk Madencilik and Eti Gümüş. These miners have been protesting in Ankara for days, demanding their unpaid wages and compensation rights from Yıldızlar SSS Holding.

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We declare to the public that we stand in solidarity with the workers of Doruk Madencilik and Eti Gümüş, affiliated with Yıldızlar SSS Holding, who have been protesting in Ankara for days for their rights, their sweat, and their future.

The union read statements and chanted slogans, saluting the miners' struggle and calling for greater class solidarity. In a published statement, Birleşik Metal-İş highlighted that the mining workers have been protesting for days in Ankara because they have not received their due wages and compensation.

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Responsibility here does not belong solely to the employer; the ministry also bears responsibility.

The union asserted that responsibility for the "usurpation" of the miners' rights does not lie solely with the employer. They also pointed to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, stating that the ministry's oversight in the mining sector should extend beyond production volume and license conditions to include workers' wages, social rights, and legal protections. The union criticized the ministry for its perceived pro-employer stance and for ignoring the plight of the workers.

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The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is responsible for overseeing the mining sector on behalf of the public and establishing the working order in this field.

Birleşik Metal-İş issued a direct appeal to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and other relevant public institutions: "Do not stand idly by while the rights of miners are usurped." They demanded immediate steps to ensure the payment of wages and compensation owed to the workers of Doruk Madencilik and Eti Gümüş. The union concluded by reminding everyone that a worker's hard-earned wages are not merely a budget item to be deferred by a company's balance sheet; they represent the livelihood of a family and the sustenance of children.

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The Ministry's ignoring of the workers under conditions where the rights of mine workers are usurped and their wages and compensation are not paid is unacceptable.