Erdoğan Bans Miners from Striking: 22nd Intervention on National Security Grounds

Erdogan Bans Mine Workers from Striking: 60-Day Postponement on National Security Grounds

The Turkish Mine Workers Union's planned strike on August 1 has been postponed for 60 days with the signature of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The grounds for the decision were cited as "detrimental to national security". The strike ban entered into force with the Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette.

The union's strike at the boron enterprises affiliated to Eti Maden was announced after the failure to reach an agreement in the Public Framework Protocol negotiations. The government's offer of 24+11 percent for 2025 and 10+6 percent for 2026 was deemed insufficient by Türk-İş.

With this development, the number of strike bans imposed during the AKP's term in power has reached 22. The reasons cited for the banned strikes to date include "national security", "public health" and "economic stability". The number of workers directly affected by the strike ban exceeded 200,000.

"We have put the right to strike on a rational basis," President Erdoğan said in a statement last May 1. However, unions and workers' representatives characterize such postponements as de facto bans and emphasize that the right to strike is a constitutional right.

It remains to be seen what steps the union representatives will take in the coming days.