Trade, Central government, Türkiye, Greece

The KESK public services confederation argues that this month’s negotiations on public sector pay and conditions have failed to deliver any significant improvements. On the central issue of pay there is no agreement at all and the issue is now in arbitration. Meanwhile, the confederation says that many union demands have not been addressed with no measures proposed on tackling precarious employment, on addressing harassment and discrimination, no measures on fairer tax and nothing to improve pensions. Meanwhile, the Genel-İş local government union has signed a new collective agreement with the

Negotiations covering over six million public sector employees and pensioners began on 1 August with trade unions from the KESK confederation the main, independent trade unions involved in the process. KESK has set out its key demands which include above all a change to the system to ensure that it guarantees a proper process of collective bargaining, with trade unions entitled to resort to strike action, if necessary. Other key demands include an end to precarious employment and sub-contracting, raising the minimum wage of public sector workers above the poverty line, increasing the minimum

The ADEDY civil service confederation has called for support for the 24-hour strike action on 2 March by its federation – ODYE – representing staff in the justice sector. The federation has a range of demands including the need to fill all vacant posts, substantial increases in wages to cover the wage losses from long-term pay freezes, re-establishing special allowances and 13th and 14th month salaries, recruitment of permanent cleaning and technical staff, ensuring modern and safe working conditions and major improvements and upgrading of the material and technical infrastructure.

On 27 August the KESK public services confederation organised a national strike in protest at the collective agreement signed by the government and the Memur Sen trade union. KESK has a range of key demands which the agreement fails to address and is angry that it was shut out of the negotiations. The confederation argues that the pay rises foreseen in the agreement are inadequate to ensure protection against inflation and it doesn’t include any measures to deal with employment security, workplace democracy or the right to proper collective bargaining. EPSU sent a solidarity message.

The KESK public sector confederation has rejected the offer made by the government for public sector wide pay increases in 2022 and 2023. The Ministry of Labour offered increases of 5% and 6% in 2022 and two increases of 6% in 2023 with further adjustments for inflation. However, KESK has already highlighted the extent to which public sector pay has fallen behind inflation (currently over 17%) and it also questions whether the official inflation figure really reflects living costs for most workers. However, the confederation is also disappointed that the public sector pay talks fail to address

EPSU joined with the ADEDY civil service trade union confederation in sending solidarity messages to trade unions representing health and social security workers taking action to defend jobs and services. The POEDHN health union organised demonstrations on 7 April and plans work stoppages for 22 April to promote a wide range of demands. The union wants COVID-19 to be recognized as an occupational disease and is calling for better pay for health and social care workers as an essential measure to tackle staff shortages. Meanwhile, the POSE-IKA and POPOKP trade unions organised a 48-hour warning

The OSYE prison services union took six days of strike action at the end of February and beginning of March over key demands on safety and staffing. The union is particularly concerned about staff on long working hours and the massive backlog of rest days and holidays that are owed to workers who have done extra shifts to compensate for understaffing. EPSU sent a message of solidarity.

Civil servants this year will see pay rise by 8% for the first six months with a further 4% for the second six months. Workers on less than TL 3500 (EUR 555) a month will get an additional TL 150 (EUR 25). Not all public sector trade unions are happy with the outcome as inflation is currently running at 16.7%. Pay in 2020 is set to increase in two instalments of 3%, although this could be increased if inflation is higher.

ADEDY, the public sector confederation, has announced a 24-hour strike across the public sector on 17 January in support of actions taken by teachers. Teachers have already had two days of strikes in protest at government reforms to the appointment system that would discriminate against those with long service. The unions also want to see the creation of new permanent posts.

ADEDY, the public services confederation, has called a 24-hour strike for 14 November. It is calling on the government to negotiate over a gradual process of pay restoration. ADEDY says that civil servants have already seen pay cut by 40% and now tax rises and reductions in tax allowances will further reduce take home pay. It is calling for immediate pay rises and the restoration of the 13th and 14th month salaries as initial steps in this process. The strike demands also cover the urgent need to recruit additional permanent staff, for measures on skills and training rather than a new

The ADEDY public service confederation and health workers' union managed to secure a meeting with the Minister of Finance earlier this month and a commitment to further meetings. However, on one of the main issues of the meeting - extending the allowance for dangerous work to all sectors - the Minister didn't agree and suggested that some workers might see cuts in order to make the allowance available to others. In response to calls to increase the number of permanent staff and reduce flexible contracts the Minister acknowledged the problem of underfunding, particular in healthcare, and

The GSEE private sector and ADEDY public sector trade union confederations organised national strike action on 30 May in protest at the continuing austerity measures being imposed on workers and citizens, with the prospect of further pensions cuts on the way while public service workers continue to try deliver services despite massive staff shortages.

The ADEDY public sector confederation will be joining with the GSEE private sector confederation and other trade union and professional organisations in a 24-hour general strike on 30 May in protest at the continuing austerity being imposed on workers and citizens. ADEDY says that public sector workers are still suffering from pay cuts of up to 40% while more precarious working conditions have spread across the public services and there are critical staff shortages in important areas of health and social services.