Nearly 500 miners who locked themselves in a coal mine in Ankara in a show of protest against a privatization project halted their protest after authorities postponed a tender for the mine’s privatization, the Bianet news website reported, citing a union representative.
The protest started on November 20 against a plan to privatize the Çayırhan mine and thermal power plant in Nallıhan, on the outskirts of Ankara. The miners launched the protest 350 meters below ground, claiming that the privatization would leave them jobless.
Turkish Mine Workers Union Chairman Nurettin Akçul announced on Friday that the miners had halted their protest due to ongoing negotiations with the authorities about the future of the mine.
The miners’ decision came a day after a group of their colleagues marched to the Ministry of Treasury and Finance in downtown Ankara on Thursday, demanding the cancellation of the tender.
The deadline for submitting the final bids was December 4, with at least 13 companies applying to take part in the tender.
The Privatization Administration of Turkey, however, announced on Thursday that the tender was postponed to March 4, 2025 following negotiations with union leaders.
According to Akçul, the authorities’ decision was aimed at buying time, ending the miners’ protest and deceiving them, calling for the cancellation of the privatization plan altogether.
He said if the privatization project is not cancelled by February, the miners will resume their protest.
Representatives from other unions also voiced similar views.
Opponents of the privatization, including main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, who visited the mine last week, have voiced concerns about layoffs, pressure on production and work safety following a possible privatization.
The miners have established a tent outside the mine as a continuation of their protest.
According to a 2022 report by the Climate Change Policy and Research Association (CCPRA), the Çayırhan Thermal Power Plant is the first of its kind in Turkey to be transferred to the private sector.
The facility, which began operations in 1978, was transferred from the state to the private sector in 1996, taken over by Park Termik Elektrik Industry and Trade Inc., a company affiliated with the Ciner Group.
The operation of the plant was returned to the state in 2020.