Protesting miners reach agreement with employer after 53 days

Workers in western Turkey’s Soma district have reached an agreement with their employer Fernas Mining after 53 days of protests. The company owned by ruling AKP MP Ferhat Nasıroğlu had fired the workers for unionizing, and the miners had begun a hunger strike as a last resort.

Sunday October 20 2024 05:26 pm

"If our lawmaker boss violates the constitution, who can convince us of the equal citizen lie?" ask the Fernas miners.

Duvar English

The protesting Fernas Mining workers Oct. 19 reached an agreement in negotiations with their employer after actively protesting their unjust dismissal for unionizing for 53 days.

The miners had marched from Turkey’s western Manisa province to the capital Ankara in hopes of speaking to the Labor Ministry and company owner Ferhat Nasıroğlu, who serves as a deputy for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

The Independent Miners’ Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş) announced the details of the agreement on its social media account. Accordingly, the workers secured competitive wages beginning in January 2025, and the dismissed workers would be accepted back if they wished.

53 gün süren mücadele ve 3 gün süren müzakereler sonucunda, Fernas işçileri ve yönetimi arasında anlaşma sağlandı.

Bu sonuç #MadenciyeSes olan bütün dostlarımıza armağanımızdır. Bütün işçi sınıfına ve emekçi halkımıza hayırlı olsun. pic.twitter.com/NE4CB0vZyN
— Bağımsız Maden İş (@bagimsizmadenis) October 20, 2024

The union wrote that deliberations lasted more than eight hours over the course of two days, and the miners’ 53-day resistance had finally paid off.

The workers had begun a hunger strike on October 14 after the company did not respond to their communication efforts. After the door for negotiations opened, the workers returned to Soma on October 17 for talks.