"We are people who cannot answer the question 'What do you do?' when we say we are civil servants"

They do different jobs in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Even though they are defined as civil servants, believe me, even they do not know what they are. Yet, there are over 135 thousand of them across Turkey. Who are they? We are talking about the Auxiliary Services Class civil servants. The Auxiliary Services Class are the people who are judged as civil servants when they face an investigation or are subject to a penalty, or who are told 'yes, you are a civil servant' when a disciplinary action is issued. Auxiliary Services are those who mop floors and serve tea in a suit. The more than 135 thousand Auxiliary Services Class personnel are organizing rallies to make their voices heard. For years, they have been conveying their demands to political parties. They come together on social media to share their grievances. Now they say it is our turn to cry out. "Enough is enough, we are tired of being just a promise for years. We state clearly that if they do not resolve our issue in parliament as soon as possible, we will not go to the ballot box in the local elections. We want reality, not promises."

Today, I will share with you the letter that came from the auxiliary services personnel.

"When we face a disciplinary penalty, they tell us we are civil servants according to Law No. 657 or Law No. 7068. It is not a lie, we are civil servants. We are the ones who put on a suit in the morning, and when we arrive at work, we clean toilets with a mop in our hands. Yes, we are civil servants who serve tea, wash dishes, and do painting. Yes, we are civil servants who do different jobs in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. We can say we are civil servants in the police force, we are civil servants in the public sector. But we are people who cannot answer when the question 'What do you do?' is asked. The Auxiliary Services Class, which was included in the Civil Servants Law No. 657 that came into effect in 1967 according to the needs of the time, has become completely obsolete and has lost its relevance entirely over the past 56 years. To make an analogy, just as many of our expatriates working abroad experience an identity crisis when they return to their homeland despite longing for it while living away, a public sector auxiliary service worker experiences this exact state of mind. We get up like everyone else in the morning, the men shave, put on their suits, and tie their ties. Female personnel carefully groom themselves and come to work. A pile of work awaits them at the workplace. First, they put the tea water on the stove. Then they take the broom, mop, and dust cloth and start cleaning the offices, corridors, toilets, and surroundings. This routine continues throughout the day. It is not that there aren't those who are luckier. If they have somehow managed to make themselves accepted with their knowledge and skills, they find a position for themselves in a corner, settling for even the menial tasks that other civil servants consider drudgery. They do photocopying, circulate signature lists, distribute documents, and run errands. Even if those who are a bit luckier have found a suitable position at a desk, their situation depends on the words that come out of their supervisor's mouth. At the slightest staff shortage, it is a matter of time before they are sent back to the position required by their job title. In the public sector, being an auxiliary service worker means that the person belonging to this class cannot feel a sense of belonging."

WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WE ARE ACTUALLY CIVIL SERVANTS

A civil servant in the Auxiliary Services class is not actually a civil servant. Neither a villager nor a city dweller, neither ignorant nor educated, neither a servant nor a master... In short, they are stuck between two contradictory feelings. Do you know what is even more dire than this? Those who turn eighteen in the Social Services and Child Protection Agency, as well as the relatives of martyrs and veterans, are also shown as if they have been given this title of civil servant and are employed in tea service, waiting tables, dishwashing, painting, toilet cleaning, moving barriers, and other areas deemed necessary by the supervisor that one might or might not think of.

Although an attempt was made to eliminate this shame with the Prime Ministry Circular No. 2018/4 regarding the relatives of martyrs and veterans, Additional Article 1 of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713 still stands. Apart from these, those who are requested for positions with qualified recruitment requirements (furniture, plumbing, woodwork, electricity, etc.) as a result of KPSS are also evaluated in positions done by laborers such as dishwashing, cleaning, waiting tables, and tea service. For this reason, an Auxiliary Service worker is ashamed even when telling their own relatives, spouse, and children what they do for a living. To get rid of the weight of this shame, they cling like a lifeline to the Promotion Exams, which are opened at long intervals. This is the reason why thousands of people apply for the 300-person quota opened. Of course, it doesn't end with passing the written exam. No matter how high a score they get, they naturally have to pass the oral interview as well. For this reason, being appointed to the General Administrative Services Class is a process as complicated as becoming a General Manager. Don't you think it's time to abolish the Auxiliary Services Class and put an end to this shame? Isn't it time for us to receive most of the rights given to civil servants that are not given to us? Our common voice is 'We no longer want to be election material.'"