Harsh Criticism from KESK to the Government and Authorized Trade Unions: "98% of Public Workers Suffered Losses from the CBA"

ANKARA - The Confederation of Public Employees' Trade Unions (KESK) has published a comprehensive report on the current situation, main problems and expectations of public laborers ahead of the 2026-2027 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) process. Conducted between June 17 and July 20, 2025 with 4,778 participants from 76 provinces, the report titled "Survey on the Current Situation and Expectations on the Way to the 2026-2027 CBA Process (2025)" reveals the economic predicament of public laborers, their distrust in unions and their demands for their rights with concrete data.

According to the report presented to the public by Ayfer Koçak, Co-Chairperson of KESK, public laborers believe that they have not benefited from the past 7 CBAs. 98% of the respondents stated that they do not believe that public laborers have benefited from the past collective bargaining processes. This widespread consensus underlines the structural nature of the loss of trust in past CBA processes.

Inflation, TurkStat and the Crisis of Confidence in the Authorized Union

One of the most striking results of the survey is public workers' belief that their salaries are not protected against inflation. While 98% of respondents stated that their salaries are not protected against inflation, the same percentage of respondents did not find the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data realistic. The report states that this shows that the main basis for calculating wage increases has lost much of its legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

The biggest cause of the losses in the CBA process was the "failure of the authorized unions to fulfill their duties and responsibilities". While 69% of the respondents share this view, 51% cite the anti-labor policies of the government and 44% cite the failure of all unions to carry out adequate struggle as the main reasons for the losses.

Subsistence Problems and High Rent Burden

The report also reveals the depth of the livelihood problems of public laborers. While 43% of the respondents state that they are the sole breadwinner, it is pointed out that this situation increases economic vulnerability. Emphasizing that the housing problem has become one of the most fundamental issues, it is noted that 65% of the respondents pay rent between 15,000-30,000 TL. Rental data in the three big cities also support this finding: In Istanbul, there are almost no houses for rent below 10 thousand TL, while 84% of the rents in Ankara and 86% in Izmir are 15 thousand TL and above.

Requests and Call for Struggle

Public sector workers demand a reshaping of the CBA table and a realistic line of struggle. 49% of the respondents argue that all unions should participate in CBA negotiations, not just the authorized unions. This demand indicates that structural transformations such as amending the current law (No. 4688) and recognizing the right to strike are priorities.

KESK emphasizes that the report is not only a data study, but also the common voice of thousands of public laborers. The Confederation declares once again that they will continue their de facto and legitimate struggle to ensure that the CBA process is not left to the mercy of pro-confederations and the government, and that they will not give up defending the rights of working people and fighting for a collective agreement with strike.