Mining workers demonstrating in Ankara against Yıldızlar SSS Holding ended their 17-day protest outside the Energy Ministry after receiving the first installment of their back pay.
Following the bank transfers, members of the Bağımsız Maden-İş union voted unanimously to conclude their vigil, chanting, 'Victory belongs to the resisting workers.'
The dispute involved miners from Doruk Mining and Eti Gümüş, both operating under Yıldızlar SSS Holding, who have been travelling to the capital to demand unpaid wages, severance pay, and other benefits since April. Under the new agreement reached with the employer following days of demonstrations and police interventions, the total debts will be cleared in four installments over a 42-day period.
Bağımsız Maden-İş lawyer Mürsel Ünder announced the decision to end the action while criticizing government ministries for failing to openly support the workers during the standoff.
'The first payments have entered the accounts as a direct result of the workers' relentless struggle,' Ünder said, noting the contributions of union president Gökay Çakır and organizational specialist Başaran Aksu.
The breakthrough comes just one day after an Ankara court formally arrested Çakır and Aksu on Aug. 26. The court cited strong suspicion that the two union leaders committed the crime of 'inciting the public to hatred and hostility' through a series of social media posts that allegedly exceeded the limits of democratic criticism. Both unionists rejected the charges.
