Statement on layoffs at CHP-run Nilüfer Municipality

Following the March 31 local elections, the new mayor of the CHP-run Nilüfer Municipality, Şadi Özdemir, took office on April 15.

Following the change in mayor, 126 workers who were found to have been hired in the final 3 months before the elections were dismissed.

Özdemir explained that the workers were dismissed because they were surplus to requirements and because personnel costs had exceeded the legal limit of 40 percent of the budget.

According to a report by Gazete Duvar, Şadi Özdemir had to pay employee salaries in three installments due to financial difficulties that emerged after he took over from the former CHP mayor, Turgay Erdem. Özdemir also dismissed the 126 people who were hired after his candidacy was announced.

"SHORT-TERM DEBT BURDEN IS HIGH"

Holding a press conference, Şadi Özdemir made a statement regarding allegations that the "treasury was emptied."

Özdemir said, “The treasury is not empty, but the financial balances and the income-expenditure balance have been disrupted. For example, 30 percent of the revenue was realized, but at that time, there was 40 percent expenditure.

The problem stems from this. The debt burden, especially the short-term debt burden, is high. There is a debt of 900 million lira, and we do not know when this will be resolved. We are looking at the April accounts and conducting a retrospective review. The income-expenditure balances should settle within a few months,” he said.

"I AM LEGALLY OBLIGED TO REDUCE"

In his assessment after the press conference, Özdemir said, “We terminated the employment contracts of 126 friends who were hired after my candidacy was announced by the CHP Party Assembly on the evening of February 11. If these people were needed, they should have been hired earlier.

They were hired without a real need. Furthermore, legally, you cannot spend more than 40 percent of the budget on human resources. If you spend money beyond that, it is charged back to the mayor. We had reached 42-43 percent. Therefore, I am legally obliged to reduce it,” he said.

There are 2,901 employees at Nilüfer Municipality. The new management team consists of 7 deputy mayors, 4 of whom are women. Stating that, proportionally, Nilüfer Municipality has more employees than other districts for a population of 550 thousand, Özdemir said they face intense pressure from everywhere regarding hiring.

"THERE IS INTENSE PRESSURE"

Özdemir said, “When you hire one person, a situation arises where you have to hire everyone. There is intense pressure on me, the deputy mayors, the deputies, and the provincial organization. They say, ‘Hire my child, I have been putting in the effort for years.’

It is difficult to stand against this. I will resist for a while. I have no intention of hiring new people to replace those who retire. They are recommending civil servants from here and there.

I will not hire new people to replace those who have left. We need to get below 40 percent, and there should be no hiring without a real need. I will try not to hire personnel as much as possible,” he stated.