We will march to Ankara if our demands are not met!
1,243 workers employed by Polyak Eynez Madencilik in Izmir marched from the mine where they work to Kınık to demand their unpaid wages and labour rights. The workers announced that if their demands are not met, the march will continue to Ankara.
Labour Service
1,243 miners working at Polyak Eynez Madencilik, operating in the Kınık district of Izmir, began a march demanding their unpaid wages, bank promotions and the guarantee of their personal rights. Local residents also supported the workers, who marched from the mine where they work to Kınık at 8 a.m. yesterday morning. With the support of citizens, the procession of mining workers grew even larger.
In a statement made by the Independent Mining Workers' Union, three main demands were highlighted. The union demanded that the workers' wages be paid, bank promotions be paid, and their retroactive personal rights be secured. The statement said, ‘If these demands are not met, we will march to Kınık today, to Izmir tomorrow, and to Ankara the day after tomorrow. We will not give up the fight until this issue is resolved.’ Adem Dadaklı, General Secretary of the Independent Mining Workers' Union, also emphasised in his speech during the march that the workers were only demanding their rights. Dadaklı said, ‘We are not asking for much. The workers are marching for their rights. We are calling out to the bosses: If you pay their wages and bank bonuses, the workers are ready to return to work. This march is not only for the miners in Soma, but for the entire working class of Turkey. Workers are not slaves, they are labourers.’
MY GAS CYLINDER RAN OUT
In a video shared by the union, workers voiced their grievances. One worker said, ‘We haven't been paid for 60 days. We are marching for our children's future,’ while another said, ‘We can't make ends meet, we won't be silenced, we won't back down.’ One miner's words, ‘My gas cylinder at home is empty,’ revealed the extent of the economic hardship.
Umut Kocagöz, President of Tarım-Sen, who supports the miners, also walked alongside the workers to show solidarity. Kocagöz said, ‘We will continue the struggle until our miner friends' rights are secured.’
Volkan Çetin, one of the executives at the Independent Mining Workers' Union Headquarters, stated that they would continue to fight until the employer backed down. Çetin emphasised the effectiveness of the workers' unity, saying, ‘We will not give up the struggle until our demands are met.’
The workers reiterated their determination to escalate the struggle, stating that if their rights were not granted, they would take the march to Izmir and then to Ankara.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Talepler karşılanmazsa Ankara’ya yürürüz!, published in BirGün newspaper on February 26, 2026.
