Public employees stage one-day strike over government's low raise proposal
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The Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) staged a one-day strike across Turkey to protest the government's initial offer in the 2024-2025 public sector collective bargaining negotiations. KESK members gathered in various cities' squares to voice their demands.
In the negotiations that began on August 14, the government proposed a gradual overall increase of 23% for 2024 and 11% for 2025. The union authorized to conduct the collective bargaining talks, Memur-Sen, had requested a gradual increase of 87.8% for the coming year and 43% for the following year.
After Memur-Sen's rejection of the initial offer, the government will present a second proposal today. If the union rejects this as well, the final decision will be made by an arbitration panel, and there is no right of appeal.
In the capital city of Ankara, KESK members gathered on Sakarya Street in the governmental district of Çankaya. Speaking at the event, KESK Co-Chair Şükran Kablan-Yeşil emphasized, "This is our first warning against the government's initial offer that disregards us."
Kablan-Yeşil said, "This offer imposes conditions of destitution. We have all been ridiculed. Is there anything in this offer to satisfy us? This is just the beginning of our struggle. We call on all public workers to unite for a wage that allows us to live above the poverty line."
In İstanbul, protests took place at hospitals. Members of the Health and Social Service Workers Union (SES) gathered at the Okmeydanı Oral and Dental Hospital and marched to the Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşçıoğlu City Hospital.
Healthcare workers from the Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty Hospital also marched to the Samatya Education and Research Hospital Healthcare workers gathered outside the hospital, chanting slogans like "We want to live with dignity" and "We won't surrender to destitution."
KESK also organized mass protest demonstrations in cities such as Aydın, Bursa, Eskişehir, Samsun, Manisa, Zonguldak, Çanakkale, Adana, Antalya, Diyarbakır, Mersin, Mardin, Urfa, Adıyaman, and İzmir.
During the protests, a joint press release by KESK was read out. The statement indicated that the government's proposed wage increase was below even the official inflation figures, and that this was a form of "mockery."
"Fake" official data
KESK called for wage increases to be determined based on the poverty line calculated by the unions, rather than the "fake" official inflation data. "As of July 2023, the poverty line for a family of four has reached 38,000 Turkish liras. We say the lowest wage should be at least 45,000 liras," KESK stated.
"Despite this, just two days ago, the government announced a proposal that promises the lowest wage for the lowest public sector worker (Service Class 15/1), who currently earns 22,000 liras, to increase to 30,425 liras after two years."
"Similarly, the government's proposal pledges that the lowest wage for a single person, which is currently 20,350 liras, will increase to 28,145 liras after two years."
"Revising an offer that so egregiously disrespects us by a few points is not possible. This offer, based on the virtual numbers of TurkStat that even falls below the government's own inflation targets, is null and void for us."
Among KESK's main demands in the collective bargaining negotiations were:
- Reducing the weekly working hours from 40 to 35
- Ratifying ILO Convention No. 190 on Violence and Harassment
- Increasing the minimum civil servant wage to 45,000 liras
- Including the additional supplementary allowance in the current base monthly coefficient for wages
- KESK had also announced that it would go on strike if the TÜİK inflation data were not considered in the collective bargaining negotiations.
(HA/VK)