"We Demand a Trade Union Law with Strike and Collective Bargaining" Call from BES: "No to the Misery Contract!"

ANKARA - The Union of Office Workers (BES) called on public laborers to reject collective agreements that impose misery and said, "We want a union law with strike and collective bargaining." BES General President Özer Avanaş invited public laborers to a joint struggle by saying "No to the misery contract" at a press conference.

Poverty Line Exceeds 90 Thousand Liras: Public Workers Can't Make ends meet

According to BES Research Center (BES-AR) data, in September 2025, the healthy nutrition expenditure of a civil servant family of four reached 37,173 liras, the cost of living of a single employee reached 58,335 liras, and the poverty line reached 90,279 liras. The daily cost of a healthy diet reached 1,239 liras. These data revealed the extent of the economic hardship of public laborers.

"Collective bargaining has turned into a misery contract"

Avanaş stated that the 8th term collective agreement covering the years 2026 and 2027, like the previous seven agreements, resulted in losses for public laborers. Avanaş argued that the partisan unions accepted the low inflation rates predicted by the government and said, "Carrying the Central Bank's inflation targets of 16 percent for 2026 and 9 percent for 2027 to the Arbitration Committee table is not representing public laborers, but surrendering to the demands of the government. The collective agreement is null and void as of today."

"No to the Misery Contract" Referendum and Call for Strike

BES will set up referendum ballot boxes and signature stands at workplaces between September 15 and October 15, seeking answers to the question "Yes or no to the misery contract, the fake union law?"

Avanaş announced that they will organize work stoppages of more than one day ahead of the 2026 budget negotiations. "The source of the poverty we are experiencing today is the income injustice and unlawfulness perpetuated by the government," Avanaş said and reiterated the following demands for permanent gains:

• Regulation of trade union law, including the right to strike.

• New collective bargaining table with no arbitration committee and equal representation of the parties.

• Allocating more resources from the budget to laborers.

BES called on public laborers to support this struggle and unite to reclaim their rights.

Source: universal.net