Erdoğan marks Labor Day, vows no action against workers

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with representatives of workers, employers and civil servants in Ankara on May 1 to mark Labor Day, vowing that his government would not take steps against the interests of workers.

“The labor of every single one of my friends, whether producing in the factory, working in the field, toiling in the workshop or sweating in the office, is the foundation of this country's rise... We will never allow the rights of our workers to be violated,” he said during the gathering at the Beştepe Presidential Complex, according to an official readout.

Erdoğan added that his administration is working to build a labor system that “places people at the center, glorifies labor and strengthens social justice.”

“Throughout our time in power, we have always stood by our worker friends and their representatives. We have implemented, hand in hand and heart to heart, issues that have been exploited for years and ignored by previous governments. We have expanded trade union rights. We have removed obstacles to organization,” he said.

"We strengthened the collective bargaining system. We increased the bargaining power of our employees. We implemented historic regulations in the field of occupational health and safety. We granted our public employees the right to collective bargaining. We strengthened the rights and freedoms of women, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in working life."

The president also addressed a recent labor dispute involving more than 100 miners who staged a hunger strike in Ankara over unpaid wages, saying the issue had been resolved following government intervention.

“We will not take any steps against the workers, the laborers, the employees. Because it is your sweat that truly makes this country a homeland,” he said.

The miners had marched about 180 kilometers from the central city of Eskişehir to Ankara, demanding overdue wages and severance payments from Doruk Mining.

Authorities said an agreement was reached on April 28, with assurances that all outstanding payments would be made within 15 days. The labor, energy and interior ministries, along with the Ankara police department, acted as guarantors.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said private mining companies that fail to pay wages or meet environmental obligations would be barred from state incentives. He also warned that Doruk Mining could face the revocation of its operating license.

“Wherever it operates in Türkiye, it creates problems. It has issues with workers, with service providers. It exhibits a management style we do not want to see. We are intervening, but they have made this a habit,” Bayraktar said.

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi had earlier intervened in the dispute, urging the company’s owner to immediately pay outstanding salaries during a phone call, officials said.