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The Confederation of Public Servants Trade Unions (Memur-Sen), Türkiye’s largest labor union representing more than 4 million public servants and 2 million retirees, announced that its members will stage a one-day nationwide strike on August 18 after failing to reach an agreement with the government on collective bargaining talks for the next two years.
Public servants dissatisfied with the government’s wage proposals have decided to walk off the job for one day. Alongside Memur-Sen, other confederations and unions—including Kamu-Sen, the Confederation of State Employees, Birlesik Kamu-Is, and KESK—will also join the one-day strike across Türkiye on August 18.
Memur-Sen has called for a cumulative 88% wage increase in the first year and 46% in the second year of the new contract period.
The government, however, offered a series of smaller adjustments, beginning with a 10% raise for the first half of 2026, followed by 6% for the second half. For 2027, the government proposed two separate 4% increases.
In a revised proposal submitted last week, the government offered a ₺1,000 ($24.50) increase to the base monthly salary, which union leaders rejected as insufficient.
According to the latest inflation-adjusted figures in July, the lowest public servant wage currently stands at ₺45,531 ($1,115).
As a response to stalled talks, union members have already set up “public servant and retiree vigil tents” across all 81 provinces to voice dissatisfaction with the government’s proposals.
Memur-Sen Chairman Ali Yalcin criticized the process, stating that negotiations so far had been marked by delays and inadequate offers. He said the proposed ₺1,000 increase “cannot be considered acceptable” and argued that it fails to address the real problems faced by workers.
Yalcin added that unions representing different service branches have been invited to attend further discussions at the Labor and Social Security Ministry, noting that Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek would also attend.
The planned strike would be accompanied by demonstrations in the capital, Yalcin said. “On August 18, we will stage a nationwide walkout as Memur-Sen. In Ankara, we will hold a mass rally in Anadolu Square and then march to the Finance Ministry to voice our demands once again," Yalcin said.
"From our vigil site, we call on Minister Mehmet Simsek: Stop suppressing wages under the name of fiscal discipline. In the previous term, we already lost against inflation," he addressed.
Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek has been facing criticism for his approach to wage increases, as he often argues that the economic board focuses on ensuring long-term price stability rather than adopting temporary measures.
The Turkish lira has lost more than 19% of its value against inflation since the start of the year, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Meanwhile, the annual inflation rate stood at 33.5% in July, down sharply from a peak of 75.5% in May 2024—the highest level since November 2021.
Despite this decline, workers argue that their wages continue to lag behind living costs, as the monthly food expenditure of a family of four, known as the hunger threshold, has reached ₺26,413 ($646.84), according to the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Turk-Is).
In a similar episode earlier in August, public workers had threatened to strike over stalled wage negotiations but eventually accepted the government’s revised proposal before the planned walkout.
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