Was 'clothing allowance' cut due to austerity measures? Ministry clarifies

The Ministry of Treasury and Finance responded via its social media account to claims that protective clothing allowances provided in various public institutions and organizations have been cut as part of austerity measures.

According to the statement made by the Ministry, it was stated that "Reports that protective clothing allowances provided in various public institutions and organizations have been cut as part of austerity measures are baseless and do not reflect the truth in any way."

The statement made by the Ministry is as follows:

"In recent days, some media outlets and unions have been making misleading reports and statements to the public due to a lack of information, citing a letter sent by our Ministry on March 8, 2024, to state-owned economic enterprises and other organizations under its monitoring and control, which was marked 'For Service Use Only.' In this context, it has become necessary to make the following statement in order to eliminate the misinformation circulating in the public eye:

Reports that protective clothing allowances provided in various public institutions and organizations have been cut as part of austerity measures are baseless and do not reflect the truth in any way.

Matters regarding clothing/garment/protective clothing allowances are included in various regulations. These include collective bargaining agreements and collective labor agreements regarding financial and social rights for service branches. These agreements and other legislative regulations cover the provision of clothing materials that must be worn during duty as a requirement of the service, in kind, to personnel who meet certain conditions. For this reason, organizations must procure the clothing items in question, record them, and distribute them to personnel who meet the conditions in accordance with the legislation."

"IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT ERRONEOUS PRACTICES WERE BEING CARRIED OUT"

In the statement, it was reported that as a result of the examination of information and documents obtained from the organizations by the Ministry, it was understood that "erroneous practices were being carried out" in this regard, and some of these practices were listed as follows:

"Providing the equivalent of the protective clothing material that organizations should procure and provide to personnel in kind as cash, gift cards, checks, or coupons,

failure by organizations to check whether personnel actually purchase protective clothing material within the scope of the provided allowance,

providing the allowance to personnel who do not meet the conditions set out in the legislation,

the clothing items determined within the scope of the allowance not having the quality of protective clothing or equipment,

the organization also providing the clothing items that personnel are required to wear as a requirement of their service to personnel who are already receiving a protective clothing allowance"

The statement used the expression, "The letter sent to the organizations on the subject was not sent for the purpose of cutting clothing/garment/protective clothing allowances, but on the contrary, to ensure that the aid in question is utilized by public personnel within the framework drawn by collective agreements and legislation."

Pointing out that there is no obstacle to providing the allowances in accordance with the legislation, the statement noted that it is not possible for organizations and unions to expand the framework drawn by higher norms.

Press Release - April 23, 2024 pic.twitter.com/0Jy0RDmtje

— T.C. Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı (@HMBakanligi) April 23, 2024

News Source: 12punto