Collective Bargaining in Crisis: Public Workers on Strike, Civil Servants' Bargaining Starts Tense

Ankara - Millions of public sector workers and civil servants are at the collective bargaining table in Ankara. While 600,000 public sector workers have been pushed by the unions to decide to go on strike, the negotiations for the 8th Term Collective Bargaining Agreement, which covers millions of civil servants and civil servant retirees, started today. However, there is great disappointment and anger in both labor and civil servants.

Strike Decision by Public Workers: "Lightning Crisis"

The months-long negotiations on the collective bargaining agreement for public sector workers have once again reached a deadlock after the Ministry of Treasury and Finance vetoed a "raise in line with actual inflation" and the Ministry of Labor lowered the offer to 11 percent. This showed that the unions representing public sector workers were "disturbed and angry" and put the strike process back on the agenda.

TÜRK-İŞ Board of Presidents will meet today to discuss strike and action plans. A sit-down strike by union presidents and executives is also on the agenda. The General Mining-Is, Demir Yol-Is and Yol-Is Unions, whose legal deadlines have expired, have started to post strike notices.

Today, Tez-Koop-İş Union will also announce a strike at METU. Representing 50,000 public sector workers, Tez-Koop-İş Ankara Branch No. 2 President Mustafa Özgen expressed his reaction to the crisis with the following words: "The Ministry of Finance is involved in the process carried out by the Ministry of Labor and the relationship is far from the seriousness of the government. They had a conflict among themselves. We are uncomfortable, we are angry, we are in trouble, but they don't want to understand this. Even senior workers are miserable. No one wants to work for the public sector anymore." Özgen's remarks highlighted the lack of coordination between public institutions and the plight of workers.

Tense Waiting in the Civil Service: KESK Calls for Alternative Tables

The salary increases for civil servants and civil servant pensioners will be determined in the 8th Term Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations that start today. However, the scheduling of the talks was brought forward due to the schedule of the Minister of Labor and Social Security, which caused a reaction from the Confederation of Public Employees (KESK).

KESK has decided to set up an "alternative CBA table" in front of the ministry on the day of the meeting, which will be attended by Memur-Sen. Due to this sudden change of schedule, KESK had to return to Ankara before completing its field work, which further increased the confederation's reaction.

KESK Co-President Ayfer Koçak stated that the timetable is wrong and said, "The fact that the process is compressed into August, when most of the workers are on vacation, takes away the chance of organizing. In addition, the right to strike under 4688 is de facto usurped." Koçak harshly criticized the denial of the right to strike for civil servants.

KESK Criticizes Memur-Sen and Demanded Raises

The demands of Memur-Sen, which will be at the table representing public laborers, for a cumulative 88 percent raise for 2026 and 46 percent for 2027, and for social and personal rights have become the target of KESK. KESK reacted strongly against Memur-Sen and the demands it put on the table.

Co-President Ayfer Koçak criticized Memur-Sen, saying, "The confederation authorized by the government and the representatives of the government strengthen the employer by positioning themselves on the same side." KESK Co-President Ahmet Karagöz said that Memur-Sen is "authorized but clearly not effective. The fact that it has increased its number of members so rapidly does not show its organizing power, but the artificial relationship it has established with the government," he said, adding that Memur-Sen does not take into account the real demands of the working people.

Karagöz pointed out that the requested increases correspond to approximately 75 thousand liras, which is below the poverty line. "The views of the unions that were left out of the table, the real demands on the ground should have been taken into account. They are empty proposals. In order for us to use our power from production and achieve real gains, the main demand should be to secure the right to a union with a strike and collective bargaining agreement."

Collective bargaining tensions between public sector workers and civil servants, in the context of severe economic conditions and limited trade union rights, may deepen in the coming days as unions decide to take action.

Source: cumhurriyet