Urgent Call from Türkiye Kamu-Sen to the Government: "Civil Servants and Retirees Should Not Be Victimized Any More, Fair Arrangement is a Must!"

Turkish Public-Sen President Önder Kahveci has criticized the September inflation data announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) with harsh words. Kahveci stated that even according to official figures, the purchasing power of civil servants and pensioners is rapidly eroding and called on the authorities to make urgent arrangements for welfare share, diluted increase and reflection of inflation difference to salaries immediately.

Salary Increase Eroded in Three Months: Purchasing Power Declined by 2.5 Points

General President Önder Kahveci analyzed TURKSTAT data and revealed the extent of the victimization experienced by public employees. Prices of goods and services rose by 3.23% on average in September, bringing annual inflation to 33.29%.

Kahveci emphasized the inadequacy of the salary increase in July, especially for civil servants and pensioners:

"While inflation in July, August and September alone reached 7.5%, the 5% salary increase given to civil servants and pensioners in July has been eroded in the first few months. Even according to official figures, the purchasing power of public employees has fallen by 2.5 points in three months."

Kahveci stated that this situation has now become a "familiar picture" and that salaries are constantly eroding due to the failure to meet inflation targets. He stated that the increases reflected from the bazaar to the market, from the kitchen to the pocket, unbearably strain the budget of civil servants and pensioners.

"Prepaid Inflation Adjustment, Not Target Indexed Increase"

The President of the Turkish Public Sector Union criticized the salary increase policies and stated that the increases made according to the targeted inflation rates have no social aspect:

"Salary increases indexed to the targeted inflation rate have ceased to be a raise and have turned into a prepaid inflation adjustment. This situation has once again demonstrated how justified and appropriate our demands at the Collective Bargaining table were. Workers' wages cannot be treated solely on the basis of cost; there is nothing social about this approach. It is time to act not with goals, but with realities."

Four Critical Demands from Public Sector Union ahead of Budget Talks

Önder Kahveci listed four urgent steps that need to be taken to restore the purchasing power of public employees in the face of the rising cost of living and eroding salaries, and stated that these demands should be included in the Central Government Budget Law:

1. Prosperity Share: It is a vital necessity and a real increase must be provided to raise purchasing power.

2. Inflation Differential Immediately Reflected: The inflation difference should be reflected in salaries without waiting from the moment it appears.

3. Sequianen Raise: The wage imbalance between public employees arising from the different statuses should be eliminated by providing support with a dilyanen raise.

4. Real Salary Increase: There is no other solution than a real salary increase that will increase the purchasing power of civil servants, taking into account the projected cost of living and real inflation.

"Their condemnation to poverty is unacceptable"

Kahveci underlined that the economic hardship experienced by civil servants has reached a level where they cannot even meet basic expenses. He said that in a period when rent, groceries, education and health expenses have increased exponentially, public employees who are trying to survive with 5% increase have become impoverished:

"In a period of increasing workload, rising rents and social costs, civil servants are becoming poorer and poorer every day. Public employees who work sacrificially all over the country should not be condemned to wage injustice and poverty. A fair arrangement must be made so that civil servants and pensioners are not further victimized."

Turkey Kamu-Sen reiterated that it is determined to defend the rights of public employees to the end on every platform until these urgent arrangements are made.