Federation of Family Physicians Associations: Salary deductions applied to those who went on strike

It has been learned that salary deductions were applied to family physicians across Turkey who went on strike against the Family Medicine Payment and Contract Regulation. According to the report by Fatma Keber from Gazete Duvar, family physicians who went on strike on November 5-7 and December 2-6, 2024, faced deductions in their salaries. 

Family Physician Dr. Hacı Yusuf Eryazgan stated that salary deductions were implemented in approximately 60 provinces and that in some provinces, family health centers were downgraded, resulting in penalties for physicians and staff. Eryazgan noted that the government is implementing these punitive measures by ignoring decisions made by the Constitutional Court and the Council of State. He emphasized that family physicians are being placed in an even more difficult position by these deductions and that this situation has led to the resignation of some physicians.

Türkü Yağmur Nehir, President of the Federation of Family Physicians Associations, stated that the strike action is a constitutional right and therefore the deductions applied are unlawful. Nehir said that the administration is engaging in mobbing to silence the voices of healthcare workers and that they will initiate a legal struggle against such practices. Furthermore, she expressed that although no punitive sanctions were applied regarding the actions taken in November, the purpose of the punitive processes initiated in December is to silence the voices of healthcare workers.