In 2006, the Constitutional Court overturned Law No 5510 on Social Security and Health Insurance. An amended draft was presented to the public on 25 October 2007, and trade unions have protested vehemently against a possible implementation, arguing that rights are being eroded and Turkey will become even less egalitarian.

The gap would widen... 

The draft on a reform in the social security and health insurance law waiting for approval in parliament foresees that:

• The age of retirement for women and men will be raised to 65, and people will have to pay social contributions for 9,000 days before being entitled to a pension. According to the educational trade union Egitim-Sen, the number of days will be raised gradually, by a hundred each year until 2028.
• Pension payments will be reduced by 23 to 33 percent, and retired people who are working will not receive pensions.
• Anyone earning more than 139.6 TRY (around 73 Euros) a month will have to pay health insurance contributions of between 73 and 475 TRY. Those not paying contributions will have access to health services. The Confederation of Trade Unions of Public Employers (KESK) has condemned this, arguing that presently over 10 million people have no health coverage whatsoever, not even the “Green Card” which is handed out to proven “poor” people. This system, so KESK, would mean that people would get “as much health as they can pay for.”
  
• Payments to cover people temporarily unable to work will be reduced.

Trade unions will strike in warning

KESK has accused Turkey of spending only around 10 percent of its budget on social security, compared to up to 30 percent in European Union countries.

In response to this draft, the Turkish Confederation of Trade Unions of Workers (Türk-Is) has declared that it represents a loss of all the rights workers have gained. Türk-Is president Mustafa Kumlu has called for a rejection of the draft.

On 13 March, there will be mass press statements in Turkey, and on 14 March, there will be a 2-hour warning strike.

“Should the law be considered in parliament despite the warnings, then members of the Labour Platform will gather in Ankara and communicate their reaction to parliament," says Kumlu.

Mustaf Türkel, general secretary of Türk-Is, said that the budget deficit in the Turkish social security system was due to the black economy and unregistered employment. Rather than increasing the load of those working officially, the government should allow the organisation of workers and prevent employment without insurance. (EÜ/GG/AG)

This article used informatiom from Democrat Radio, as well as the websites of KESK and Egitim-Sen.