Workers at the Çöpler Gold Mine in Erzincan, eastern Turkey, staged a protest against their employers’ plans to lay off hundreds of workers by blocking access to the mine’s service road.
Anagold mining, the company operating the mine, announced on Aug 18 that it would dismiss workers due to the ongoing suspension of the operations and uncertainty after the deadly incident in February where nine workers were killed after being trapped under the soil following a massive landslide in the mine.
The company plans to dismiss as many as 1,800 workers, according to reporting from Halk TV. In the announcement sent to workers, Anagold outlined criteria for selecting which workers would be dismissed, including disciplinary records, performance issues, and absences.
Additionally, the company is offering severance packages that include four months' salary, educational support for children, and relocation assistance for those returning to different cities.
İliç gold mine disaster is a result of lawlessness and lack of control
However, the announcement still sparked unrest among the workforce. Workers from the Bağımsız Maden-İş mine workers union and their families gathered at the mine, chanting slogans such as "Give our land back" as they marched toward the site.
The union called on the company to reconsider the layoffs and urged the company to fulfill its obligations to the community and its workers: "Anagold has accumulated immense wealth from İliç over the years. Stop committing crimes against the people of İliç. You cannot escape responsibility. The dismissed workers must be reinstated immediately.” (VK)
