Minister promises solution, miners stop protesting until January

* Photo: Independent Miners' Union (Bağımsız Maden İş)

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Protesting for their severance pay that they could not receive for 8 years, the workers of Soma Uyar mining company stopped protesting yesterday (November 17) after Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu promised that a solution would be found for their problems and demands.

Accordingly, the miners will not protest until January 15, 2021; however, if their demands are not met by then, they will continue with their protest as well as their march from Manisa to the capital city of Ankara.

The decision of the miners was shared with the public by Başaran Aksu, the Independent Miners Labor Union (Bağımsız Maden İş) Organization Specialist, on Twitter. Aksu has also announced that the miners of Ermenek from Karaman province, who have also been protesting for their unpaid wages and severance, will wait for the result of the meeting to take place with the governor's office today (November 18).

Aksu wrote on his Twitter account: "We have won in Soma. We are waiting for tomorrow's meeting at the governor's office for Ermenek. We would like to thank our friends in solidarity with miners' struggle at heart and mind. Let's keep making the voices of resisting workers' heard everywhere and work hard to turn the voice into struggle. Harder!"

Soma'da kazandık.
Ermenek için yarın yapılacak valilik görüşmesini bekliyoruz.
Madencilerin mücadelesiyle dayanışma içinde dostlarımıza kalben, aklen teşekkür ederiz.
Direnen işçilere her yerde ses olmaya devam edelim.
Sesin mücadeleye dönüşmesi için de çok çalışalım.
Daha çok!

— Başaran Aksu (@aksu_basaran) November 17, 2020

Having started protesting for their rights on October 12, the workers from Soma held a statement at the Soma Cengiz Topel Square yesterday.

Addressing the miners, Independent Miners' Union Training and Organization Specialist Kamil Kartal said that Soylu promised them a solution.

"Mr. Süleyman Soylu has said that the procedures will be finalized and the workers will be paid until January 15, 2021," Kamil Kartal said and added, "And we told him, 'We trust you, we believe you.' We end our Ankara march that we began on October 12 today."

Direne direne direnişle zafere #MadencilerKazandı https://t.co/6z3MWLT1w6

— Bağımsız Maden İş (@bagimsizmadenis) November 17, 2020

Kartal recalled that they had made several meetings and negotiations till then and reminded his audience that a group of 14 miners went to İzmir after the earthquake to help the search and rescue efforts there.

He further recounted that while they were in Gölmarmara on the Uşak highway, Manisa Governor invited them to a meeting and they had some talks in Ankara. "After these developments, a meeting was held with Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu in İzmir yesterday. Mr. Soylu has made a promise for the resolution of the problem. We have ended our protest in response to this; however, we have said that if the promise is not kept, we will restart marching to Ankara on January 16."

The same points have also been reiterated in a statement released on the website of Independent Miners' Union later in the day.

Struggle of Uyar Mining workers

After 301 miners lost their lives in Soma, Manisa on May 13, 2014, the labor contracts of the workers of Işıklar, Atabacası and Geventepe mines were terminated and they were dismissed without severance pay. With a law passed on July 24, 2020, it has been decided that the severance pay of workers be paid by the Turkish Coal Enterprise.

However, as this legislation is limited to these three mines, it does not apply to other royalty holding sites (leased by the Turkish Coal Enterprise). That being the case, workers in Uyar Mining in Soma (Manisa), in Ermenek (Karaman) and similar other mines have suffered a loss of rights.

The workers of Uyar Mining company staged a protest march for their rights on October 5, 2019, setting off from Manisa for the capital city of Ankara; however, they ended their protest following a meeting with Şeref Kalaycı, the Deputy Minister of Energy, in November 2019. (HA/SD)