The date has been set: Public sector workers are going on strike!
As collective bargaining negotiations affecting approximately 600,000 public sector workers enter their 7th month, no agreement has yet been reached. As unions begin to announce their strike decisions, it has been announced that the first actual strike will begin on August 1 at boron facilities.
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A critical phase has been reached in the collective bargaining negotiations covering wage increases for over 600,000 public sector workers.
According to information reported by NTV, strike decisions have been taken in some mining sites and railway operations due to the failure to reach an agreement in the negotiations. The scope of the strike announcements is expanding; strike decisions are planned to be announced on July 28-29 at the General Directorate of Highways, the State Hydraulic Works, and some public enterprises in the energy sector.
FIRST STRIKE BEGINS AT BORON FACILITIES
Following the completion of the legal process, the first actual strike will begin on Friday, August 1. The strike will be carried out at the boron facilities under Eti Maden.
A total of 1,511 workers affiliated with the Turkey Mine Workers' Union (Türkiye Maden-İş) will stop work as of August 1.
These facilities, located in Eskişehir Kırka, Kütahya Emet, and Balıkesir Bigadiç, produce 1 billion 380 million euros worth of output annually. It is stated that these facilities, which work exclusively for export, do not maintain stock production, and it is noted that the strike could cause disruptions in the supply chain.
THIRD AND FINAL OFFER FROM THE GOVERNMENT
Last week, the government presented its third and final offer regarding the collective bargaining process. Accordingly, the proposed raise rate for the first 6 months of 2025 was increased from 17 percent to 24 percent.
However, worker representatives argue that this final offer announced by the government remains behind the actual inflation rate and emphasize that they will not sign off on these rates.