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Agence France-Presse (AFP) Türkiye employees have launched a strike after collective bargaining talks between the agency's local management and the Turkish Journalists' Union (TGS) broke down following months of negotiations.
Journalists put up a banner reading "There is a strike at this workplace" outside AFP's office in Istanbul's Sisli district and made a public statement setting out their demands.
In their statement, AFP Türkiye staff said Türkiye was facing a severe economic crisis, with poverty and the rising cost of living affecting workers across the country.
They argued that there was a wide gap between the figures announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) and the realities of daily life.
The employees said their wages had been eroded by inflation figures that, in their view, did not reflect actual living costs. They noted that during their wage increase period in March, annual inflation stood at 30.87% according to TurkStat, while independent economists put the rate at 54.62%.
The journalists said this meant workers were being asked to base their wage demands on the lower official figure, even as essential needs were becoming much more expensive.
In the statement, the striking journalists called on AFP Türkiye management to listen to what they described as their justified demands and bring the process to an end without further delay.
They also criticized the pressure faced by journalists in Türkiye, saying that while the state hid realities through official figures, journalists trying to bring facts to the public were accused of spreading disinformation.
AFP Türkiye reporter Fulya Ozerkan shared images from the strike on social media, saying staff were once again fighting for their basic rights, and thanked supporters for their solidarity.
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