Hunger strike ends in Türkiye as government guarantees miners’ pay

A nine-day hunger strike by miners in Türkiye has come to an end after government ministries stepped in as guarantors for unpaid wages and benefits. Following a meeting at the Interior Ministry, union representatives said most workers had already begun receiving payments, while authorities asked for an additional 15 days to complete the process.

The breakthrough followed direct talks between union leaders and Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci in Ankara. A three-member delegation, including union officials and a lawyer, presented demands related to unpaid salaries and other labor rights. The meeting was described as constructive, with both sides moving toward a resolution.

Behind the scenes, earlier contacts reportedly played a role in pushing negotiations forward. The minister was said to have called the holding company owner to demand that workers’ dues be paid. At the same time, miners had been preparing to escalate their protest, including plans to march to the employer’s premises later that day.

After the meeting, Independent Mine Workers Union head Gokay Cakir announced that the protest would be called off. He stated that the talks had gone positively, that most wages had been paid, and that ministries would act as guarantors for the remaining process. Emphasizing the outcome, he said the miners had secured their rights through persistence rather than charity.

Union representative Basaran Aksu invited all workers to take to the streets on May 1, known internationally as Labor Day, and specifically urged those in Istanbul to gather in Taksim, a symbolic location for labor demonstrations.

In a lengthy statement, Aksu framed the protest as part of a wider fight against inequality, pointing to economic hardship among workers, small business owners and farmers, while arguing that wealth was concentrated among companies and those in power.

Lawyer Mert Batur, representing the workers, stated that all demands had been accepted. He explained that unpaid wages, compensation claims and other entitlements were now in the process of being settled. He also noted that practices such as enforced unpaid leave had been acknowledged as unlawful by the employer and would no longer continue.