More than 110 coal miners from Doruk Madencilik were detained and subsequently launched a hunger strike outside Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources on Tuesday after a weeks-long march to Ankara ended in confrontation with police — the latest flashpoint in a deepening labour dispute over months of unpaid wages, denied compensation and what workers describe as dangerous working conditions.
The miners, represented by the Independent Mine Workers’ Union, had begun their march on 11 April from the Mihalıççık district of Eskişehir province. Police detained union leader Gökay Çakır, organising specialist Başaran Aksu and 31 miners when the group attempted to reach the ministry building. The workers responded by banging their hard hats on the ground and whistling through the night, before 110 miners commenced a hunger strike outside the ministry the following morning. “We came to Ankara in our shrouds, we are here,” the union said in a statement. “We will not be deterred by detentions.”
At the core of the dispute are approximately five months of unpaid salaries, as well as severance and notice pay the workers say has been withheld both before and after the mine was taken over by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund — known as TMSF — in 2016, on alleged ties to the Gülenist organisation designated by the Turkish state as FETÖ. The mine was subsequently transferred to Yıldızlar SSS Holding in 2022, and according to the union, labour rights violations escalated sharply following that transfer. The workforce shrank from approximately 1,200 to between 250 and 300 workers as payment disruptions mounted.
Beyond wages, the miners are demanding an end to what they describe as involuntary unpaid leave being imposed on current workers, reinstatement of employees dismissed for union activity, and the creation of a safe working environment compliant with occupational health and safety standards. Workers say the company is forcing them to use outdated equipment. The union also called for the mine’s nationalisation to secure long-term employment and operational sustainability.
Yıldızlar SSS Holding, a family-owned conglomerate chaired by businessman Sebahattin Yıldız, operates across mining, energy and ceramics. Its subsidiaries include silver producer Eti Gümüş, Nesko Maden and Söğütsen Seramik.
