Public sector workers in Turkey walked off the job in many cities on Monday over the government’s offer in the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations, which the unions consider to be far below expectations.
In the first round of the eighth round of collective bargaining, the government had offered a ten percent increase in civil servants’ salaries and pensions for the first half of 2026 and six percent for the second half. For 2027, it offered four percent per half-year. Following criticism, the Ministry of Labor increased the offer by a lump sum of 1,000 lira, but this was also rejected by the unions.
Nationwide protests
In response, several trade union confederations, including the Confederation of Public Employees’ Unions (KESK), BİRLEŞİK KAMU-İŞ, DMK, HAK-SEN, and YURT-SEN, called for a one-day strike. Under the slogan “No negotiations, only struggle,” rallies and demonstrations took place in numerous provinces.
In Ankara, hundreds of workers marched from the National Library building to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, chanting slogans such as “Unions with the right to strike” and “United we will win.” KESK co-chair Ayfer Koçak said, “The government has offered poverty and insecurity to four million workers, 2.5 million pensioners, and thus a population of 25 million people.”
In the Kurdish metropolis of Amed (tr. Diyarbakır), demonstrators marched from the town hall to the central Şêx Seîd Square. After a rally with speeches and music, participants danced and sharply criticized the government.
In Batman, workers gathered in Yılmaz Güney Park. Speeches stated that the wage increase offered did not even cover the cost of a daily loaf of bread.
Similar protests took place in Dersim, Mardin, Cizre, Izmir, Mersin, and Istanbul.
In Istanbul’s Kadıköy district, demonstrators carried placards with slogans such as “We want a wage that is enough to live on” and “No to a sellout of collective bargaining.”
The unions are demanding an end to precarious working conditions, better pensions, secure jobs, and full strike rights in collective bargaining disputes. “We are fighting for a fair working life, decent wages, and public services in the interests of the population,” they said in a joint statement.
The actions in several cities also received support from opposition parties and civil society organizations. In Izmir, members of parliament from the DEM Party and representatives of the left-wing workers’ party EMEP took part in the rally.
Wage disputes in the public sector are traditionally tense in Turkey. Unlike in many European countries, unions do not have an enforceable right to strike in negotiations. Critics regularly accuse the government of treating wage negotiations as a formal ritual and blocking employees from exerting any real influence.
Source: ANF News
