Türkiye Kamu-Sen Unveils Demands for 8th Collective Bargaining Agreement: “Fair Distribution is Essential!”

Ankara – The Türkiye Kamu-Sen Confederation announced its comprehensive demands to the public and authorities ahead of the 8th Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, set to begin on August 1st. The confederation is demanding a raise of 40,657 TL for the lowest civil servant salary and 47,481 TL for the average civil servant salary, while drawing attention to the tax burden on public employees and salaries falling below the poverty line under current economic conditions. Türkiye Kamu-Sen President Önder Kahveci based their demands on the principle that “Fair sharing, fair income distribution is essential.”

Financial Demands and Emphasis on Welfare Share

Türkiye Kamu-Sen’s core financial demands cover the years 2026 and 2027. The union is demanding a cumulative increase of 92.3% for the lowest-grade civil servant salary, including a welfare share, and 88.6% for the average civil servant salary for the entirety of 2026. For 2027, a 45.2% increase, including a welfare share, is requested for all salaries. These rates have been determined with the aim of preserving the purchasing power of civil servants and increasing their economic well-being.

Attention Drawn to Erosion of Salaries

In his statement, Önder Kahveci drew attention to the decline in the purchasing power of civil servant salaries compared to previous years. He stated that while an average civil servant salary could buy 22.1 quarter gold coins in 2002, this figure has now dropped to 7. It was emphasized that civil servants struggle to support their families with an average salary of 53,000 TL in an environment where the poverty line exceeds 85,000 TL. Furthermore, it was stated that the tax burden is unfairly placed on public employees, and a call was made to address the injustice in income distribution.

Comprehensive List of Demands: Touches on Working Life

Türkiye Kamu-Sen will bring not only financial demands but also a comprehensive set of demands to the Collective Bargaining table aimed at improving the social, personal, and working conditions of public employees. Among the prominent demands are:

• Additional Payments and Compensations: Elimination of injustices in special service compensations, equalization of rates based on title and increasing them for all civil servants, and resolution of additional payment issues.

• Social Aid and Family: Payment of a "Holiday Bonus" to all public officials twice a year. Raising retirement pensions and providing social benefits such as family allowance and child benefit to retirees. Ensuring family unity, encouraging marriages, providing support to increase fertility, and removing obstacles to spouse status, health, and education excuses.

• Employment Security and Appointments: Abolition of the 3+1 contractual status, ensuring all public officials are employed permanently and securely. All personnel outside the scope of permanent positions, including contractual personnel (İHS) at PTT, honorary Quran course instructors, and acting civil servants, should be given permanent positions. University-graduate workers should also be appointed to civil servant positions if they request it.

• Promotion and Title Change: Regularization of promotion and title change examinations, abolition of oral exams, and reliance on written exams.

• Meals and Working Conditions: All public officials to receive free meals like workers, and cash payment for meal expenses in workplaces where meal services are not provided. Re-evaluation of working conditions for public employees who cannot take holidays on holidays and weekends.

• Demands for Specific Areas: Resolution of issues such as additional payments, institution changes, transfers, and tax injustice for personnel subject to Decree Law No. 399. Resolution of issues for civilian personnel working in military workplaces and the police force, and protection and security personnel. Regulation of personal rights for titles such as chief, engineer, and lawyer, and abolition of the central-provincial expert distinction. Special payments for hardship areas and disaster zones instead of compulsory rotation.

• Health and Disabled Personnel: Resolution of the problem of healthcare workers receiving varying salaries each month due to different salary components in health institutions and organizations, and transition to a single-salary system for standardized pay. Implementation of all kinds of positive discrimination to enable disabled personnel to produce services more easily and find sufficient employment in working life.

• Additional Course, On-Call, and Overtime Pay: Increasing overtime pay so that it is not less than the employee's normal hourly wage. Increasing additional course and on-call pay.

• Various Other Demands: Continuation of social security premium payments by institutions for public officials on unpaid leave for military service or maternity leave, and provision of support payments at a certain rate of their salaries during their leave. Re-determination of actual service increments. Legal arrangements to protect personnel subjected to mobbing. Regulation of the social security system to provide full protection and reduction of participation fees.

Türkiye Kamu-Sen announced that it would resolutely fight to defend the rights of public employees with this comprehensive list of demands during the 8th Collective Bargaining negotiations.