Civil Servant Raise Decisions Create Cracks in the Public Officials Arbitration Board: Two Major Unions Decide to Withdraw

ANKARA - The decisions of the Public Officials Arbitration Board, which put an end to the 8th Term Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, which millions of civil servants and civil servant pensioners were eagerly waiting for, caused great disappointment among the unions. Turkey's two largest public employee confederations, Memur-Sen and Turkey Kamu-Sen, have announced that they have withdrawn from the meetings, finding the raise rates set by the board insufficient. These historic decisions were published in the Official Gazette dated August 27, 2025 and entered into force.

What were the final decisions of the Arbitration Council?

The Public Officials Arbitration Board, which stepped in after the government and unions failed to reach an agreement, determined the increase rates and social rights covering the years 2026 and 2027. According to the Board's decisions:

• For 2026: The first six months will be increased by 11 percent and the second six months by 7 percent.

• For 2027: The first six months will be increased by 5 percent and the second six months by 4 percent.

It was also agreed to increase the base salaries of all civil servants and civil servant pensioners by 1000 TL as of the first half of 2026. In the collective agreement, 58 items agreed upon by the parties were also approved. These items include increasing the additional payment increase of General Administrative Services (GİH) and Auxiliary Services Class (YHS) personnel to 10 points, increasing foreign language compensation by 100 percent, and overtime pay for protection and security personnel on official and religious holidays.

Authorized Confederation Memur-Sen Withdraws

In a statement made on social media, Memur-Sen, the authorized confederation in the Public Officials Arbitration Board, announced that they have decided to withdraw despite the 58 items agreed upon in the collective agreement. Ali Yalçın, President of Memur-Sen, stated that they did not accept the decision due to the negative approach of the government on critical topics such as percentage increases, welfare share, base salary and rent allowance. Yalçın said, "Some positive steps have been taken with our reactions and our insistence on the Arbitration Council, but these will not solve the problem. We have withdrawn from the Referee Board."

Turkish Kamu-Sen: "Far from Solving Problems"

Turkey Public Sector Union (TGSU) also announced in a statement published by its own media organs that they have withdrawn from the Arbitration Board meetings. In a letter titled "We will continue all kinds of struggle with determination", the union emphasized that the proposals of the board were not enough to solve the problems and meet the expectations of public servants. Türkiye Kamu-Sen criticized the "reluctant and incompetent attitude of the authorized confederation in operating the bargaining table" and the "insensitivity" of the Public Employer side, and stated that both parties were responsible for the disappointment experienced.

These decisions are the final decisions of the Arbitration Board for Public Officials in collective bargaining and are not legally subject to appeal. This means that the salary and social benefits increases for public employees over the next two years will be far from the expectations of the unions.