"Justice" Call to the Government from Health Liyakat-Sen: Civil Servant and Worker Salary Gap Should Close

Hağlık Liyakat-Sen President Mehmet Demirel pointed out that the gap between the salaries of public workers and civil servants is growing and called on the government for a gradual increase before the 2026 collective agreements. Demirel demanded that the 43% salary loss to the detriment of the civil servants be compensated and then sit at the table.

Striking Data on the Growing Salary Gap
According to Demirel's statement, the monthly difference between public workers and civil servants has exceeded 22,500 TL. Stating that if the government's 11% offer to civil servants for the first half of 2026 is realized, this difference will increase even more, Demirel shared the following predictions:

• * Lowest civil servant salary: 55,500 TL in January 2026.
• * Lowest public worker salary: His bare salary will increase to 64,380 TL. Together with allowances and bonuses, the monthly net money received by the worker will reach 80,475 TL.
• * Salary gap: In this scenario, the difference between the lowest civil servant and the lowest worker will increase from 22,500 TL to 25,000 TL.

Emphasizing that this situation will continue to increase every 6 months, Demirel stated that this gap should be closed urgently.

A Proposal for a Gradual and Fair Increase Instead of a Capped Increase
Stating that their priority as a union is to compensate the losses of civil servants, Demirel suggested that the difference between the lowest worker and civil servant salaries before the collective agreement should be compensated by eliminating the 43% loss against the civil servant.
Demirel also advocated for a gradual raise model instead of a dilyanen raise, stating that a dilyanen raise would worsen the situation of pensioners and increase the civil servant ceiling-floor salary difference. The gradual increase proposal is as follows:

• * For those with a salary between 50.000 - 60.000 TL: 43% increase.
• * For those with a salary between 60.000 - 75.000 TL: 35% increase.
• * For those with a salary of 75,000 TL and above: 25% increase.

This model will narrow the wage gap and provide a fair system, he said.

President's Remarks and the Situation of Retired Civil Servants
Demirel reminded the President's statements at the HAK-İŞ general assembly in 2023 that "The salary of the lowest public employee cannot be lower than the salary of the lowest paid public worker" and "The diluted increase given to the working civil servants will also be given to the civil servant laborers."
In this context, he stated that the money that each retired civil servant will receive from the government amounts to 91 quarters of gold as of today. Demirel stated that despite this, it should be revealed whether it is the confederation representing civil servants or the senior managers of the Ministry of Finance who are responsible for the fact that public workers receive 43% more salary than civil servants and that the dilyan increase given to civil servants in 2023 is not given to retirees.

Two Critical Clauses for Collective Bargaining
Mehmet Demirel emphasized that the losses of the civil servants should be eliminated with this gradual increase before sitting at the collective bargaining table. In the following negotiations, he demanded that two critical clauses be included in the contract:

• * The lowest civil servant cannot receive a salary lower than the lowest public worker.
• * All additional payments received by civil servants should be reflected in their pensions.

Stating that with these articles, the rights of both working and retired civil servants will be protected, Demirel said that in the current situation, the salary of retired civil servants remains below the minimum wage, and the difference in salary between retired civil servants and retired workers is; while the civil servant retiree receives a monthly salary of 24,000 TL, the public employee worker retiree receives a monthly salary of 48,000 TL. The reason for this is that while the deductions of public workers' base salary, food, travel, additional payment allowances and bonus payments are reflected in the pension compensation and pensions, the pension payments received from the additional payment of the civil servant are not reflected in the pension deductions, so the retired worker receives twice the salary received by the civil servant retiree.
Demirel emphasized that it is vital to take these steps to ensure justice and restore the balance of salaries and reiterated his call to the government.