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Over 600,000 public sector employees in Türkiye could launch a nationwide strike beginning Aug. 26 unless wage negotiations reach an agreement, the country’s largest labor union confederation, the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Turk-Is) warned on Monday.
Turk-Is Chairman Ergun Atalay joined workers at the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) factory in Ankara and at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change. His visits supported ongoing sit-in protests, during which employees remain at their workplaces after hours—a form of action reported across all 81 provinces in Türkiye.
“These actions reflect the desperation of workers who cannot make ends meet,” Atalay said, emphasizing that the bulk of Turk-Is members are employed in labor-intensive roles across essential public services.
He noted that many of these workers serve in critical sectors such as healthcare, transportation, and infrastructure—fields that require physically demanding labor under often challenging conditions.
According to Atalay, the rising cost of living has pushed these workers to a breaking point, as their current wages no longer cover basic needs despite the vital nature of their work.
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The government’s most recent pay proposal included phased increases: 16% for the first half of 2025, 8% for the second half, followed by 7% and 5% hikes across the two halves of 2026.
Union representatives have dismissed these figures as inadequate, especially in light of Türkiye’s high inflation at 35.05% as of June and rising cost of living at ₺33,587 ($836).
Currently, the minimum public sector wage is around ₺37,000 to ₺38,000 per month. By comparison, the national minimum wage stands at ₺22,104. Workers have called for a daily minimum wage of at least ₺1,800 (about $45), along with provisions such as seniority-based bonuses and a "welfare share" to offset economic hardship.
Atalay criticized government officials and bureaucrats for comparing blue-collar workers’ earnings to those of pensioners or minimum wage earners, arguing such comparisons misrepresent the reality faced by public employees.
“We’ve spent a year knocking on doors to explain our situation,” he said. “We cannot survive on these wages. We are left with no choice but to declare a strike next week and proceed on Aug. 26 if no agreement is reached.”
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