Inflation Warning from Turkey Public-Sen: July Figures Shake the Collective Bargaining Table

Ankara - Önder Kahveci, President of Türkiye Kamu-Sen, emphasized that the July inflation figures announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) have eroded the salary increases of public employees in the first month and that the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations should be reshaped with urgent demands. Kahveci stated that the 5% raise for civil servants and pensioners has lost its meaning by being overshadowed by inflation even at the beginning of the second half of the year.

According to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute, the July inflation rate was 2.06%, while annual inflation reached 33.52%, deeply affecting the purchasing power of public employees. President Önder Kahveci stated that these figures reveal how inadequate the 5% increase in civil servants' and pensioners' salaries is. Kahveci said, "In the first month of the second half of the year, the 5% increase in civil servants' and pensioners' salaries was overshadowed by inflation and almost half of the increase evaporated in the first month. Unfortunately, the six-month increase in civil servant salaries lost its meaning in the first month. With a critical five-month period ahead of us, the possible price increases for the rest of the year will further shake the already limited budget of public servants and further reduce their living standards. These inflation figures have clearly shown that the economic demands of public employees have reached a dimension that can no longer be postponed and that the current situation requires a serious intervention."

Rise of Fair Demands at the Collective Bargaining Table

This inflation rate, announced at a critical juncture of the public sector collective bargaining negotiations, will change the course of the negotiations at the table. Önder Kahveci emphasized that this situation once again reveals how justified and reasonable the demands of public employees have been voicing for months. He underlined that the determination of civil servants' salary increases should be based on the projected cost of living, current living conditions and real inflation, not the inflation figures announced by TURKSTAT, as they have been expressing for a long time as Türkiye Kamu-Sen.

Kahveci said, "It should be known that public employees, who struggle to make ends meet with a symbolic 5% increase, have become unable to meet their house rent, kitchen expenses, education and health expenses of their children. Moreover, in this difficult period when the workload has increased significantly, rents in big cities have reached exorbitant levels, food expenditures and social costs have climbed to astronomical levels, our civil servants, who cannot get the real return of their sweat, are getting poorer day by day. This is not only an economic indicator, but also a social wound that deeply affects the quality of life and motivation of millions of people."

Turkish Kamu-Sen's Clear Demands at the Table

Önder Kahveci emphasized that the ongoing collective bargaining process, far from being a routine procedure, is a struggle for an honorable life for millions of public employees and retirees. He stated that as Türkiye Kamu-Sen, the demands they presented to the public and the collective bargaining table were clear:

1. Additional Raise Demand: At the collective bargaining table, an additional raise should be made urgently to compensate for the real losses suffered by civil servants and pensioners to date.

2. Prosperity Share Implementation: Welfare share implementation should be introduced in salary increases to ensure that public employees also share in economic growth beyond inflation.

3. Monthly Inflation Differential: The inflation differential should be reflected in salaries on a regular basis every month instead of every six months, thus preventing sudden declines in purchasing power.

4. Removal of Income Tax Injustice: Taking into account economic realities, the current income tax injustice that puts public employees in the 20% and above tax bracket, especially in the second half of the year, should be eliminated.

General President Kahveci concluded his speech with the following strong messages: "It should not be forgotten that a fair wage policy is the foundation of a strong state and the sine qua non of a sustainable, quality public service. As Türkiye Kamu-Sen, we will continue to defend the rights of our civil servants and pensioners to the end and with determination on every platform and under all circumstances. This struggle is not only a union duty, but also a struggle for rights for social justice and welfare."