Miners protest in Turkey ends after 21 hours

Despite the end of the resistance for now due to the request of the union, the miners announced that they would continue to struggle until their demands are met
Tuesday, 07 November 2017 22:57

On November 6, approximately 2000 miners in Turkey’s northwestern province of Zonguldak staged a protest against statutory decrees introduced to parliament via an omnibus bill on the part of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that would amend the Mining Law. The workers had locked themselves in a mine to protest the relevant amendments that would pave the way for the privatisation of the Turkish Hard Coal Enterprise Institution. Miners have ended their protest after 21 hours due to the demand of the General Mine Workers' Union (GMİS).

Despite the end of the resistance for now due to the request of the union, the miners announced that they would continue to struggle until their demands are met.

GMİS Chair Ahmet Demirci stated that they decided to end the protest after meeting with authorities from the government and the pro-government Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-İŞ) Chair Ergün Atalay in Ankara.      

Informing the miners about recent developments, GMİS Vice-Chairman İsa Mutlu stated, "You saw that we cannot solve the problem via negotiations, and now you felt that it was your turn to struggle against this problem. Thank you very much for your decisive struggle and for ending a decision that you initially took among yourselves under the leadership of our union."

Mutlu also said that the Parliament will pass the relevant Article 58 as the workers and union demanded by making a new draft leaving the Turkish Hard Coal Enterprise Institution and its affiliates out of the scope of the omnibus bill.