Changes to public collective bargaining law on the agenda

Action has been taken to change the structure of the collective bargaining mechanism, which is authorized to determine the salaries and various rights of public officials and has long been subject to criticism. A series of meetings are being held at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security with the participation of civil servant confederations, representatives of the Presidency of Strategy and Budget, and the Ministry of Treasury and Finance.

THE RIGHT TO STRIKE AT THE FOCUS OF DISCUSSIONS

The "right to strike," which has been brought to the agenda for many years as a common demand of all civil servant confederations, is once again on the table. Under current regulations, the strike, which is prohibited for civil servants, was replaced by a process concluded by the final decision of an arbitration board in case of a dispute. The confederations, however, want more say in decision-making processes and the right to strike at the collective bargaining table, just like workers.

In commission meetings, the fact that public employees can only make contracts regarding financial and social rights is also criticized. Birleşik Kamu-İş Confederation General Secretary Şükrü Balun states that they want this scope to be expanded and for collective bargaining to be conducted with fully democratic procedures.

DEMANDS FOR LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Şükrü Balun reacted to the current process with the following words: "Everyone accepts that the current collective bargaining agreement is not a real collective bargaining agreement and that we are openly in a theater. The public employer knows this too. Everyone is stalling each other. Meanwhile, public employees are condemned to misery, hunger, livelihood problems, and increases below inflation." Balun also criticized the current system by saying, "How can a collective bargaining agreement be signed without the right to strike," and expressed that the civil servant side's hands are tied at the table.

Balun emphasized the need to change the Constitution and the Civil Servants Law to solve the problems with the following words: "It is aimed to submit the proposal to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) before the Parliament goes on recess."

COMMON DEMANDS OF CIVIL SERVANTS

The demands that have become prominent in the efforts to democratize the collective bargaining process and expand trade union rights are summarized as follows:

• Legal guarantee of the right to strike,
• Expansion of the scope of collective bargaining,
• Removal of obstacles to forming unions and membership,
• Strengthening participation in management and member representation,
• Prevention of trade union discrimination,
• Bringing international standards to authorization rules,
• Conducting decision-making processes in a more fair and egalitarian manner,
• Making legal arrangements to increase representation power,
• Ensuring the continuity of collective bargaining processes,
• Removal of the ceiling limit on social balance compensation.