Health and Social Service Employees Smiled with 29 Articles at the Collective Bargaining Table

ANKARA - After the 8th Term Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, which concern more than 6.5 million public servants and pensioners, ended with a disagreement on the general increase rate and moved to the Public Officials Arbitration Board, the gains achieved by the unions at the table of service branches came to the fore. Sağlık-Sen, which is the authorized union in the Health and Social Services branch, reached an agreement on 29 important articles as a result of the negotiations it carried out and gained important financial and social rights for its members.

Sağlık-Sen President Mahmut Faruk Doğan held an online meeting with the union's branch presidents after the agreement was signed at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and shared the details of the gains. Doğan emphasized that even though there was disappointment in the general increase rate, the achievements in the service branches were an important source of morale. Stating that the gains will enter into force as of January 1, 2026, Doğan stated that the increases obtained with these articles will be reflected even more positively on the salaries of health and social service workers with the increase rates to be issued by the Arbitration Board.

Special Improvements for Health and Social Workers

The 29 articles signed by Sağlık-Sen offer concrete solutions to the different expectations of sector employees. Among the most notable achievements are the following:

• Night Compensation: The practice of "night compensation" for personnel who work night shifts has been included in the contract.

• Clothing Allowance: Clothing allowances will be given in kind to the employees of the health services class affiliated to the Ministry of Health.

• Increase in Base and Supplementary Payments: Significant increases were made in the base payment coefficients of health services employees, undergraduates and laboratory personnel working in the Ministry of Health and university hospitals.

• Additional Points for 112 Emergency Workers: Additional points were added to the base pay rates of nurses, midwives, ATTs and paramedics working in 112 emergency health services. Additional points were also added to the net incentive coefficient of these personnel working as ambulance drivers.

• Certificate and Shift Pay Arrangements: Additional payments for employees with certificates at university hospitals have been increased, while contracted personnel at the Ministry of Family and Social Services are now eligible for shift pay.

• Various Compensation and Additional Payment Improvements: The social service compensation of the personnel in the Ministry of Family and Social Services' residential institutions serving severely disabled and children, the additional payments of corporate lawyers and the special service compensation of some civil servants were increased. In addition, the additional payment rates of the personnel in the health, technical, general administration and auxiliary services classes working in the central and provincial organizations of the Ministry were increased.

Sağlık-Sen stated that these gains, which it achieved by focusing on the professional problems of its members, will contribute to labor peace and motivation, despite the failure to meet the general increase expectations. The fact that the signed agreement will enter into force on January 1, 2026, regardless of the decision of the Arbitration Board, was considered as a concrete step for health and social service workers.