KOOP-İŞ Union Declares Strike Decision at the Ministry of Treasury and Finance

Ankara - The disagreement in the negotiations on the Framework Protocol for Public Collective Labor Agreements, which directly concerns about 600 thousand public sector workers in Turkey, has triggered strike decisions, an important step in the trade union movement. KOOP-İŞ Union officially announced its decision to strike with its members at the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, where it is organized. This important development spread to the workplaces affiliated to the Ministry in 38 provinces across Turkey on the same day, and strike notices began to be posted.

Dispute Deepens in Negotiations: Strike at the Door

The negotiations on the Framework Protocol for Public Collective Labor Agreements, which have been ongoing since January, failed to reach a compromise between the expectations of the labor side and the proposals of the public employer. This situation has made the process of taking a strike decision, one of the most fundamental rights of trade unions arising from the law, inevitable. KOOP-İŞ Union Ankara Branch No. 2 President Soner Berk made a statement in front of the Ministry building, emphasizing that the only reason for this point is the "approach that ignores labor". Berk stated that as a union, they will use all their rights arising from the law to the end and will never give up the struggle of labor.

KOOP-İŞ and TÜRK-İŞ Emphasize Joint Struggle

This determined stance of KOOP-İŞ Union is part of the general struggle led by its Confederation TÜRK-İŞ. While TÜRK-İŞ is waging an all-out struggle to protect and improve the rights and interests of public workers, KOOP-İŞ has become the representative of this struggle in the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. Soner Berk said, "As Koop-İş Union, under the leadership of our Confederation TÜRK-İŞ, we will continue to follow labor, sweat and the right to collective bargaining. We will not stop until we are paid for our labor!..." and once again made their union stance clear.

Process and Expectations

While an exact date for the start of the strike has not yet been announced, the announcement of the strike is an indication that negotiations will escalate and that the unions will resist with determination until their demands are accepted. Public workers are waiting for their demands to be met, especially in terms of improving wages that are eroding in the face of inflation, expanding social rights and improving working conditions. In this process, the unions are not only focusing on wage increases, but also demanding that steps be taken to raise the general living standards of public workers and increase their job security.

This strike decision announced at the Ministry of Treasury and Finance will be closely followed by the public and is expected to have a significant impact on the future of the collective bargaining process. The joint struggle of KOOP-İŞ Union and TÜRK-İŞ will continue with determination to ensure fairer and more humane living conditions for public workers.