Milas energy workers and village heads protest upcoming court ruling

Local village heads and energy workers have gathered in Ankara to protest an upcoming Council of State hearing regarding urgent expropriation cases in the Milas region. The legal decision, scheduled for September 16, will determine the future of the Yeniköy and Kemerköy thermal power plants and their associated mining sites.

Representatives argue that a halt in production would have devastating economic consequences for the region. TES-İŞ Yatağan Branch President Fatih Erçelik noted that approximately 3,100 people are directly employed at the plants, with thousands more relying on the industry through local suppliers, transport, and maintenance services. Erçelik warned that if production stops, the workers will be the first to suffer, drawing comparisons to the economic decline seen in Soma.

Dursun Uysal, spokesperson for the Village Heads Advisory Board, stated that the decision affects the livelihoods of roughly 15,000 people living in 20 neighboring villages. He emphasized that mining and agriculture have coexisted in the area for over 40 years and warned that a negative ruling could lead to village depopulation and forced migration of youth to other cities.