THE GRAND MINE WORKERS STRIKE OF 1990

30 November 1990, Friday


48 thousand people working in Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises (TTK) and 
Mineral Exploration and Research Institute (MTA) started their strike. The Zonguldak mine workers were accomplishing their first “legal” strike in the hard coal basin since 1848.

The mine workers strike was not an ordinary strike. It was a “special strike”. The explosion in 1990 was the accumulation of many years. It was not just a conflict over the collective agreement negotiations. 

The mines were the hopes and the future of Zonguldak. After 1980’s the conscious policies to close down the quarries, output decreases and pit closures deeply effected the Zonguldak community. The strike of 1990 is the revolt of oppression, and working all these years for only a mouth full of bread.

Till 1990’s the miners were only remembered from deadly accidents which occur in the quarries. After this date they will be remembered from their struggle for democracy, bread and freedom. Starting from 1990, the mine worker is no longer a spectator, but battling in the middle of the arena. The mine worker also played an important role in ending the darkness of the 12 September 1980 military coop and destroying the politic idea to exclude the worker.

The aims of the strike were explained as below in the General Mine Workers Union newspaper with the heading of “Struggle for Bread”.

TO WORK LIKE A HUMANBEING, TO LIVE LIKE A HUMANBEING,
TO EARN WHAT WE DESERVE,
TO WORK SAFELY AND HEALTHY,
TO PROTECT OUR BREAD AND OUR HONOR,
TO OPEN THE EYES THAT DONT SEE AND THE EARS THAT DONT HEAR,
TO SHOW OUR STRENGTH AND UNITY,
WE ARE ON STRIKE TILL WE GET OUR RIGHTS...

The strike was growing and spreading minute by minute, developed, became a flag, lighted the way...Action; struggling for our rights, revolting, resisting, obstinacy, patience, honor, courage, excitement, discipline, participation, unity, solidarity, sharing, love, friendship, marching, marching and marching...First marching in the city, than marching to Ankara and the reality of Turkey coming to the scene with the barricade. A golden page to the democracy struggle of the world labor movement was written in Zonguldak.

THE GRAND MARCH TO ANKARA
4 January 1991, Friday

Unbelievable, and hard to explain. A big city was walking to Ankara, their number was increasing every kilometer, it was impossible to see the end of the cortege in the roads of Zonguldak full of curves. They were over 100 thousand. Single voice was being heard.
“ OUR ROAD IS TO ANKARA, OUR AIM IS ÇANKAYA”

Hunger, tiredness, cold did not mean anything. Flood of determined people were flowing to the capital.
Karamanlar, Devrek, Dorukhan, Mengen, the Deller Bridge and at last the Barricade....
The message that reached the entire world, and turning back. 8 February 1991.

STRIKES WERE STOPPED

After the meeting of National Security Committee in 25 January 1991 the Committee of Ministers met. It was announced that the strikes were postponed. The Zonguldak strike was postponed for 30 days in order to avoid the loss of workers. But when it was realized that this reason was illegal, the Minister of Labor İmren Aykut made an other announcement saying that the strike was postponed for 60 days because of the Gulf Crises. It was realized that the justification was not even discussed in the committee of ministers. After the decision was issued in the official newspaper the workers began to work on 27 January.

AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED

At the meeting held in the conference room of the union with the workers on 5 February 1991 the decision to sign the agreement was reached. The agreement was going to be signed reluctantly considering the conditions of the country. It was emphasized that the losses would be met in the 1992 collective agreement. The workers in the conference room told Denizer to do what he wants to do and Denizer thanked them all.


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