They walked 200 km to the capital and were arrested. The drama of Turkish miners

110 Turkish miners who have been on hunger strike in Ankara since Monday, demanding payment of overdue wages, have been detained, their trade union announced on Tuesday.

“We waited in front of the Ministry of Energy until we could talk to someone, and meanwhile the only response was to detain 110 of our colleagues,” wrote the Independent Union of Miners on the X platform.

The miners arrived in the Turkish capital on Monday from neighboring Eskisehir province, covering 200 km on foot in nine days, and sat in front of the ministry's fence, surrounded by policemen.

They demanded payment of arrears of wages and compensation for layoffs by the employer, Doruk Mining.

– In this country, workers are not important, only money (…) Shame on those who run the country – said the head of the trade union, Gokay Cakir.

The Ministry of Energy has not yet responded to AFP's request for comment. (PAP)

Doruk Madencilik işçileri Enerji Bakanlığı önünde: Hakları için oturma eylemi ve açlık grevine başladılar

📍İşçiler, haklarının sekiksiz ödenmesini ve gözaltındaki arkadaşlarının serbest bırakılmasını talep ediyor

📢TKP: Bu haksızlığa boyun eğmeyen, emekleri için günlerdir… pic.twitter.com/LQNaaSdsBf

— soL Haber (@solhaberportali) April 20, 2026

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