Promises not kept, miners back on the march to Ankara

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Protesting for their unpaid wages and severance for a long time now, miners from Ermenek in Karaman province have once again decided to march to the capital city of Ankara as the promises have not been kept.

Miners have announced that they will meet at Ermenek Güneyyurt Square today (November 25) and set off for Ankara at 1 p.m.

Speaking to bianet, Independent Miners' Labor Union Chair Tahir Çetin has said, "A negotiation table was set. The authorities of the state sat on this table, but the employer has never sat there. The state did not show its power to the boss, but it has shown its power to us several times before." 

Çetin has noted that "the promises given have not been kept", adding that "no matter how much power the state will show them now, they will not step back from their path until they can get their rights."

Sharing details about their resistance for 87 days, Tahir Çetin has said that some of the miners have not been paid their wages or severance 7 months, 13 months or even 3 years.

He has also noted that they will be marching to the capital city together with the workers of Özbeyler company's Cenne and Seba Mines, the workers of Turap Mining, which was closed 3 years ago, and the workers of Özkar Mining, which was closed 2 years ago.

"The employer did not come to table'

"We will not leave until the money is deposited to our bank accounts and we are given job safety and security," Çetin has said and added:

"Our friends have not been paid their severance by saying that it is forbidden by religion [haram]. Our friends who say 'We stand behind our severance pay to the end' started a resistance 87 days ago. We had several talks in this process. The governor gave promises, so did the minister...

"In Soma [in Manisa], the workers of Uyar Mining ended their protests until January 15 after Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu promised a solution.

"Minister Soylu gave an instruction to Karaman Governor Mehmet Alpaslan Işık for the resolution of the problems of workers in Ermenek. We made another meeting with Governor Işık upon this instruction. But Özbeyler [the employer] did never cooperate.

"At last, on Monday (November 23), Governor Işık came to Güneyyurt and said that the problem would not be solved. He told us that our demands would not be met by making such remarks as 'If the Interior Minister can solve, he can come here and do it.'

'Boss is encouraged by political power holders'

"And we say that there is no longer a table for finding a solution and we decide to march to Ankara starting from today. We will set off for Ankara at 1 p.m. We will seek our rights not on the negotiation table, but on the way to Ankara. We will not turn away from our path.

"They should not say 'Don't march' now. We have been at the negotiating table for 87 days. Özbeyler have not come to the table even once for these 87 days. We saw that Fehmi Özbey had several pictures with the President. He gets strength from political power holders.

"The state did not use its power against the boss, but if it wants to use it against us, it is more than welcome, it can come and intercept us. We will not turn away from our path until this problem is resolved." (HA/SD)