It was announced that it would be customized: The miners shut themselves underground.

About 500 miners started a protest today by locking themselves in the mine they descended into underground during the 08:00 shift against the privatization decision of the Çayırhan Thermal Power Plant mining fields located in the Nallıhan district of Ankara.

Turkey Miners' Union General President Nurettin Akçul stated that they have communicated with the 500 miners who are protesting and have locked themselves underground due to the privatization decision of the Çayırhan Thermal Power Plant mining fields, and that they are closely following the issue. He said, "Since this privatization decision came to the agenda, we have been in talks with the relevant parties, trying to make our voices heard. A few weeks ago, we held a rally in Çayırhan together with TES-İş. However, unfortunately, we have not received a positive response so far. Therefore, our miner friends locked themselves in the mine this morning during their shift. We will also be in Çayırhan, we will be their voice above ground," he expressed.

"THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT THE MINER'S ACQUIRED RIGHTS IN THE TENDER SPECIFICATIONS"

Akçul stated that the workers are disregarded in the tender specifications, saying, "According to the information we received; there is nothing about the miner's acquired rights in the tender specifications. We do not know the exact content. However, it is evident that privatization will harm both the miner and the local people's interests. After this sale tomorrow; they may ignore workers' rights to reduce costs. They may lay off workers, reduce the current number of workers, meaning they may disregard the labor of the worker. This situation undermines job security for employees while threatening the local economy. So this is not just a problem for the miner or the worker, it is a problem for Çayırhan, Nallıhan, Beypazarı, Ankara, and Turkey," he stated.

"MINERS WILL BE HOMELESS AND JOBLESS"

Akçul also stated, "Our miners, who are at risk of unemployment in these economic conditions, locked themselves in the mine to make their voices heard. Unfortunately, the point we have reached is not encouraging. Workers who have not seen a glimmer of hope regarding this issue for weeks are now trying to make their voices heard from underground. As a union, we will fight to the end. The privatization administration's meddling is leaving our worker brothers in uncertainty, disregarding our rights and future. Privatization decisions cannot be made without considering the public interest. This decision, taken by disregarding us and the public interest, should be withdrawn before it is too late. Our struggle will continue until the Çayırhan privatization, which will leave miners jobless, homeless, and hungry, is stopped. We will not hand over the worker's bread, labor, and sweat to anyone," he said.