A Stern Message from Memur-Sen to the Government at the Collective Bargaining Table: "We Demand an Offer Compensating Past Losses!"

ANKARA - The authorized confederation of public servants' unions, Memur-Sen, has made a strong public call for the government to come to the table with a fair and comprehensive offer ahead of the 8th Term Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations that will cover the years 2026-2027. The confederation emphasized that they should not be satisfied with only percentage increases, and announced that they expect a proposal that will bring solutions to structural problems such as diluted pay, welfare share and correction of the deterioration in the wage scale.

Collective Bargaining Proposals and Government Action

Memur-Sen had previously shared with the public its proposals for the 8th Term Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will determine the salaries and social rights of public servants and pensioners. These proposals included demands for increases in six-month increments, especially for 2026. At a later stage of the negotiations, the time of the union's planned press conference was changed after the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Vedat Işıkhan, called Ali Yalçın, the President of the Public Officials' Trade Union Delegation and the President of Memur-Sen, to inform him that the Public Employers' Council would present its proposal. This was interpreted as a sign that the union was preparing to make its stance against the proposals clearer.

"Civil Servants cannot be condemned to starvation"

Ahead of the upcoming offer from the Public Employer's Committee, Memur-Sen sent a clear message to the government with posts on its social media account. Stating that the union should not come to the table with only a percentage increase offer, the union listed the following demands:

• Seyyanen Pay: An equal additional payment to all civil servants to increase the purchasing power of salaries eroded by inflation.

• Prosperity Share: Public servants receive a fair share of the growth in the national economy.

• Correcting the Wage Scale: Eliminating the wage imbalance especially between employees with different titles and statuses and protecting merit.

Memur-Sen, in a statement with the slogan "EMPLOYER DO WHAT IS REQUIRED!", said, "Civil servants of the state cannot be condemned to starvation. The fair offer should close the gap between employees, compensate for past losses and end future worries," he said, drawing attention to the seriousness of the economic difficulties experienced by civil servants.

These statements put strong pressure on the government to meet the expectations of civil servants and pensioners in its collective bargaining proposal. Memur-Sen's stance underlines the demands that not only salary increases but also structural injustices in working life should be solved. It remains to be seen how the collective bargaining process will turn out in light of this determined stance.