TES-İŞ and Mukhtars Advisory Board gathered in front of the Council of State for Akbelen mine and power plants and defended workers' rights.

In the press statement held in front of the Presidency of the Council of State, TES-İŞ Yatağan Branch President Fatih Erçelik made a statement on behalf of energy and mining workers, and Karacaağaç Mukhtar Dursun Uysal made a statement on behalf of the Mukhtars Advisory Board.

TES-İŞ Yatağan Branch President Fatih Erçelik said that they came from Milas to Ankara to make the voices of thousands of workers who earn their living from the mines and power plants.

Reminding that the hearing of the case regarding the urgent expropriation decision regarding the immovable properties in Akbelen and its surroundings will be held tomorrow at the Council of State, Erçelik said, "We have full respect for the judicial decision and the legal process. The reason we are here is to defend the job, work and future of the worker. Because we are the ones who will directly experience the consequences of the decision to be taken. Approximately 3 thousand 100 people work directly in the Yeniköy and Kemerköy mines and power plants. They earn their living from this production together with maintenance, transportation, contractor companies and local suppliers." "Each of these numbers means a worker, a family, a house and a future. We know very well what this means. We saw what happened after the power plant was closed. Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Besim Dutlulu said in his statement a few days ago, 'If the power plants do not work, it will be a disaster for Soma. We are here to prevent the same situation from happening.

'WHEN PRODUCTION STOPS, WORKERS PAY THE PRICE'

Erçelik emphasized the importance of the Council of State's decision and said, "If the mine stops, the power plant also stops. These two enterprises are not independent of each other. The coal needed by the power plant is in this basin and the continuation of production depends on the timely progress of the work in the mine area. When production stops, the worker pays the first price. Then tradesmen, transporters, maintenance companies, local suppliers and the whole region are affected. We have been mining in the region for 40 years. During this time, mining has become a part of the working life and economic order of the region. A large part of Milas and its surroundings, "They want work, production and employment to continue. We know that this is not just the problem of the mine workers. We do not want to confront anyone. However, we say that a solution that leaves workers unemployed will pay the price in time. We want to work, we want to produce, we want to build our children's future in our own country," he said.

'STOPPING PRODUCTION MEANS THE EMPTYING OF THE REGION'

Karacaağaç Headman Dursun Uysal said that nearly 15 thousand villagers living in 20 villages adjacent to the power plants came to Ankara to make their voices heard. Uysal said that the case to be heard tomorrow is not an ordinary case and said, "This is a decision hearing that will affect the jobs, livelihoods and future of thousands of people living in our region. We were born in these lands, we live here. We are the people who know the future of our villages best. Mining in Milas has been a part of our lives for more than 40 years. People in our villages are engaged in agriculture and work in mines and power plants. They spend the money they earn in this region. Our tradesmen do business from this, our transporters earn a living from this, our local businesses survive from this. In other words, the mine and the power plant survive." "It is a part of the economy of not only those who work there, but of the whole region. Today, thousands of people earn their living directly or indirectly from this production. The cessation of production means that the economic mobility in the region decreases, young people go to other cities for work and our villages become increasingly empty. We want our children to work in their own hometowns and establish their homes here."

'BOTH THE MINE AND THE OLIVES ARE OURS'

Uysal stated that he was the headman of one of the 6 villages where expropriation took place and said, "Those who said yesterday, 'Olives will be massacred', are today pursuing new lies. I say to those who lie that villages will disappear: 'No village center will disappear.' I invite everyone who wants to see the truth to look at the map. Our people should listen to the voice of real villagers, not the headman bought by German foundations. The majority of people living in our region see this side of the issue. Nobody wants olives, soil or nature to be damaged, but while protecting nature, we also have to protect our people's jobs and the economic life of the region. What we say is very clear. The mine is ours, the olive is ours, the land is ours, the labor is ours. We trust the judicial process. We know that they will take into account the opinions of the people living here, the economic realities of the region and the future of thousands of families when making their decisions. We do not want our villages to be empty, we want them to live and continue producing. We want our children to stay, work and build their future in the land where they were born. "We are here to protect our own future," he said.

Mukhtars Advisory Board members and workers affiliated with TES-İŞ also visited Arslan Narin, General Manager of Mining and Petroleum Affairs, and Abdullah Tancan, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, within the scope of the Ankara program. During the meeting, the current situation of production and employment in the region, the coal needs of the power plants, the future of work in the mining areas and the expectations of the citizens living in the villages were discussed before the hearing to be held tomorrow. The headman and workers called for the opinions of people living and working in the region and the socioeconomic realities of the region to be taken into account when evaluating the legal process.