Civil Servant Unions Join Forces Against the Government's 'Misery Raise' Offer: August 18th Big Action Decision

ANKARA - Public servants' unions have decided to take a joint action against the government's second offer in the 8th Term Public Collective Agreement negotiations, which disappointed millions of civil servants and pensioners. Leaders of the KESK and Birleşik Kamu-İş confederations and the service branches affiliated to the authorized union, Memur-Sen, have announced that they will organize a one-day work stoppage across the country and a big rally in Ankara on Monday, August 18, 2025, in response to growing reactions. The unions sent a message that "we will fight until we get our rights" against the government's "mocking" proposals.

Both Government Proposals Fail

The Public Employers' Council first came to the collective bargaining table with a 10% + 6% raise for 2026 and 4% + 4% for 2027, which were described as "misery offers" by the unions. Upon the reaction of millions of people, the government, in its second offer, proposed a diluted increase of 1000 TL only for base salaries in addition to these rates, which further increased the anger of the unions.

KESK Co-General President Ahmet Karagöz stated that the government's offer is not even equivalent to the cost of a daily tea or a bagel and that public laborers are being made fun of. Karagöz rejected throwing the ball to the Arbitration Board, which he described as "the notary of the government", and stated that the collective bargaining table should produce solutions to fundamental problems. KESK reacted to the lack of response to basic demands such as an end to precarious employment, rental assistance, welfare share from growth and elimination of income tax injustice.

Emotional Reaction from Healthcare Workers' Union: "This Proposal Does Not Include Emergency Nurses"

Memur-Sen affiliate Sağlık-Sen staged a sit-in protest in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and sharply criticized the public employer. Sağlık-Sen President Mahmut Faruk Doğan stated that the proposal "ignores physicians, nurses and midwives" and said, "There is no physician in the emergency room in this proposal. This proposal does not include the nurse in intensive care. There is no midwife in the delivery room in this proposal." Doğan emphasized that the proposed figures "have nothing to do with the bazaar market" and demanded a welfare share to compensate for past losses and the reflection of all incomes to retirement. Sağlık-Sen also sent a message of solidarity to Emekli Memur-Sen after the sit-in.

United Public-Is Calls for Ankara Rally

The United Public Workers' Confederation, which announced that they will not remain silent against the proposal that disregards the rights and demands of public workers, made a joint press release with other unions and called for a major action on Monday, August 18. The Confederation invited all laborers and pensioners to gather at Ankara Anıt Park at 11.00 am and march to the Ministry of Labor. "We will continue our struggle with determination to achieve wages and working conditions that will allow them to live humanely," the statement said.

Common Voice from All Civil Servant Unions: The Fight Will Continue

Statements from different service branches of KESK, Birleşik Kamu-İş and Memur-Sen show that public employees are taking a common stance against the low raise offer. Unions such as Birlik Haber-Sen, Bayındır Memur-Sen, Bayındır Memur-Sen, Emekli Memur-Sen, Diyanet-Sen and Eğitim-Bir-Sen also staged protests in front of their respective institutions, stating that not only wages but also merit, justice and social rights should be discussed at the collective bargaining table. The slogans "Rights are not given, they are taken, victory is won on the streets" and "There is no salvation alone, either all together or none of us" showed that unions are determined to fight beyond the table.