Topless Turkey miners stage hunger strike over unpaid wages

Dozens of miners staged a sit-in protest outside Turkey's energy ministry on Monday and began a hunger strike, stripping off their shirts to demand unpaid wages, an AFP photographer reported.

About 90 miners gathered outside the ministry building after reaching the capital on foot from Eskisehir in central Turkey.

Hundreds of workers from Doruk Mining, members of the Independent Miners' Union, walked roughly 180 kilometres (110 miles) in nine days to reach Ankara, urging authorities to address what they described as delayed payments and unresolved compensation claims.

Several protesters had handwritten slogans scrawled across their bodies, including "Now we are more hungry," "We will continue until we receive our rights," and simply, "We are hungry".

Others vented their anger by repeatedly striking their yellow safety helmets against the ground.

Protesters said they had requested a meeting with Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar but had been unable to secure one.

Police intervened with tear gas when the group arrived in Ankara early in the morning, briefly detaining several union members before releasing them later in the day.

Doruk Mining is a subsidiary of Yildizlar SSS Holding and operates a thermal power plant in Eskisehir.

The mine and power plant had been under the management of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) for several years before being transferred to Yildizlar SSS Holding in 2022.

Since then, hundreds of workers have been laid off or placed on unpaid leave, while unpaid wages and severance entitlements have accumulated and remain unresolved, according to the union and Turkish media reports.