The workers, after demanding their rights be respected and asking to get paid for the work they have already completed were shunned by the mine owners. Having no other alternative left to further discussions with the management, the workers went on a strike and a hunger strike 420 feet underground. They locked themselves inside the mine and refused to surface. In return, the management cut their communication with other workers and their families.
NesKo mine workers in Çanakkale, Turkey win the struggle against the corporation
After locking themselves in the mine for 7 days, the mine workers of NesKo Mining corporation win the strike.
The mine owners were forced to accept all demands of the workers.
The workers, after demanding their rights be respected and asking to get paid for the work they have already completed were shunned by the mine owners. Having no other alternative left to further discussions with the management, the workers went on a strike and a hunger strike 420 feet underground. They locked themselves inside the mine and refused to surface. In return, the management cut their communication with other workers and their families.
Two days ago, the families and a DISK delegation, the Confederation of Progressive Labor Unions, visited the mine. However, the army set a roadblock 5 miles from the mine gates and prevented the delegation, including the president of DISK, Arzu Çerkesoğlu, to approach the entrance of the mine.
The demands of the workers were simple: Observe current laws and show respect to workers. The miners wanted their back wages to be paid that the company was refusing to pay. Other demands included occupational safety and health concerns as well as respect to their unionizing efforts guaranteed by law.
The union guaranteed the promise of the management only when the governor of Çanakkale, the province where the strike took place, gave his personal guarantee that the management would hold their end of the deal.
After the deal was struck, the workers ended the strike and came out of the mine.
Sendika.org News (M.B.)