The protest of Doruk Madencilik workers—affiliated with Yıldızlar SSS Holding—who walked from Eskişehir to Ankara over unpaid wages and withheld severance, and who then launched a hunger strike in the capital, has ended with concrete gains.
In the final stage of the struggle, a delegation consisting of Independent Mine Workers’ Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş) General President Gökay Çakır, Organizing Specialist Başaran Aksu, miners Sinan Koçak and Özcan Gültekin, and a union lawyer went to the Ministry of Interior.
The delegation met with Deputy Minister of Interior Ali Çelik, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security Faruk Özçelik, and Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Abdullah Tancan. Doruk Madencilik’s owner, Sabahattin Yıldız, also attended the meeting.
Following the meeting, both the ministry and the union issued statements. The ministry stated:
“The meeting at the Ministry of Interior concluded with the parties reaching an agreement. The workers announced that they ended their protest after reaching an agreement with the employer.”
The Independent Mine Workers’ Union, on the other hand, announced the outcome with the statement “We won.” The union also declared that the planned protests in front of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) in Istanbul and Yıldızlar SSS Holding in Ankara would not take place, and invited the public to a celebration at Kurtuluş Park.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, Independent Mine Workers’ Union General President Gökay Çakır explained the outcome as follows:
“They asked us for 15 days. The ministries are the guarantors of this. As of now, we have ended our protest.”
Organizing Specialist Başaran Aksu highlighted both the lack of media coverage and the scope of the victory. Criticizing pro-government media, Aksu stated:
“We see different microphones here today. We are glad. They were not here before. They did not see the workers’ protest until now. It is good that they see it in front of the ministry.”
He then detailed the concrete gains of the struggle:
“All payments by the company—including personal rights, unpaid union-related rights, the reinstatement of social security premiums for workers forced into unpaid leave, the payment of their wages, and the payment of wages to workers involved in ongoing legal processes—have been secured in a way that leaves no worker behind. Even those who did not apply to our union during the resistance period are covered. After 15 days, the outcome will be reviewed in the presence of three deputy ministers, ensuring that all payments have been made. With this guarantee mechanism, we conclude the process. The resistance has ended in victory.”
Aksu also emphasized that this struggle extends beyond Doruk Madencilik workers and addressed workers across the country:
“Workers, laborers, and retirees in similar situations across the country should not be afraid to claim their rights. They should not hesitate. We are here.”
The struggle of Doruk Madencilik workers—beginning with a march to Ankara, continuing with a hunger strike, and culminating in ministerial-level negotiations—has been recorded not merely as a workplace dispute, but as a concrete example of how organized and determined resistance can produce real gains.