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Turkish miners' unpaid wages protests and union leader det

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2026-08-28 09:02 UTC → 2026-09-05 06:05 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Turkish miners' unpaid wages protests and union leader ~~deten~~ det

The protest movement over unpaid wages at Doruk Madencilik and Eti Gümüş, both under Yıldızlar SSS Holding, has intensified in Ankara. Following reports that promised payments due on 6 August were not made despite labor inspection reports confirming debts, more than 100 miners and union officials were detained on 10 August while attempting to protest at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. The Ankara Governor's Office issued a 15-day ban on all public gatherings, effective from 9 August to 23 August. On 25 August, Gökay Çakır, president of the Independent Mine Workers’ Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş), and organizing specialist Başaran Aksu were arrested. They face charges of ‘inciting hatred and hostility’ following social media posts and protests. During court proceedings, Çakır stated he was fulfilling his duty to protect colleagues' rights, while Aksu argued legal actions were a response to his efforts to organize workers. The court ruled their social media activity ‘exceeded the limits of democratic criticism and protest.’ After 18 17 days of demonstrations, workers ended their protest on 27 August following an agreement with the holding company. ~~Under~~ The union decided to terminate the ~~terms, outstanding payments will be distributed in four installments; one-quarter has been paid, with~~ protest after the first installment of owed amounts, including unpaid wages and severance, was deposited into workers' accounts. The remaining ~~three-quarters~~ balance is scheduled to be ~~settled within~~ paid in three additional installments over the next 40 days. While the financial claims were ~~resolved, the atmosphere remained somber due to the ongoing detention~~ addressed, multiple unions, including 16 branches of DİSK, condemned the ~~union leaders. The company has previously faced administrative fines exceeding 23.5 million lira for~~ arrests of Çakır and Aksu as an attack on labor ~~law violations~~ rights. On 4 September, Gökay Çakır and ~~failure~~ Başaran Aksu were released from custody. Aksu had initiated an indefinite hunger strike on 1 September to ~~meet collective bargaining agreements.~~ protest his detention. Union representatives maintained that the legal actions were an attempt to suppress the struggle for workers' rights.

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