Mining workers protest Yıldızlar SSS Holding over unpaid wages

Mining workers from Doruk Madencilik and Eti Gümüş, affiliated with the Bağımsız Maden-İş Union, are conducting a prolonged protest in front of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources in Ankara. The workers are demanding the payment of unpaid wages, severance pay, and other legal entitlements.

The protest has entered its ninth day, with workers announcing they will transition to a 24-hour vigil. During the demonstrations, tensions rose, leading to the detention of union officials and reports of minor damage to ministry property. Some workers have engaged in sit-in protests, including symbolic actions such as sitting semi-naked to draw attention to their cause.

Yıldızlar SSS Holding, the parent company, issued a statement claiming that most past obligations have been met and remaining payments are being finalized. The holding accused the Bağımsız Maden-İş Union of spreading “incomplete and misleading information” and noted that the authorized union for the company is Türkiye Maden-İş. Meanwhile, the Chamber of Mining Engineers has called on the government to cancel the holding's mining licenses due to the ongoing labor issues.