Ankara corridors are buzzing... Here is the moment that made Erdoğan furious: Former Minister steps in!

The Public Collective Bargaining Framework Protocol, which determines the wage increases and financial rights for approximately 600,000 public workers for the 2025-2026 period, was signed recently. However, the crisis that occurred at the beginning of the process led to significant tension in Turkey's political and economic management. The fact that figures in the economic administration opposed the wage offer approved by Erdoğan caused a serious disagreement among the ministers.

THE MOMENT ERDOĞAN GOT ANGRY

At the heart of the story is President Erdoğan's angry reaction: "Everyone is telling a different story. You are all saying different things. Let whatever happens, happen, let it go wherever it goes..." This reaction brought the deadlock in the wage negotiations and the disagreements among the economic staff to the surface. Journalist Nuray Babacan recounted the behind-the-scenes diplomacy of this event in her column today.negotiationsand the disagreements among the economic staff to the surface.to the surface.to the surface.to the surface.Journalist Nuray Babacan recounted the behind-the-scenes diplomacy of this event in her column today.in her column today.Journalist Nuray Babacan recounted the behind-the-scenes diplomacy of this event in her column today.

NEW OFFER AND STRIKE PROCESS

Discussions regarding the wage increase for public workers went as far as the strike process. Türk-İş President Ergün Atalay went to meet with President Erdoğan to suspend the strike decision. During this meeting, it was requested that the 24 percent wage increase offer for 2025 be revised. Erdoğan accepted the revision request and approved the addition of an extra inflation rate for the second six months. Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan then ensured that the new offer was announced to the public as 24 plus 16.67 percent.

OPPOSITION FROM ŞİMŞEK AND YILMAZ

However, after this offer, objections came from Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz. Şimşek and Yılmaz criticized the situation harshly, stating that such a wage offer would not be feasible. Babacan stated, "The economic management, who learned these figures from television screens, went mad."

FORMER MINISTER FARUK ÇELİKSTEPS IN

The person who stepped in to find a solution was former Minister of Labor Faruk Çelik. Çelik was called to Ankara from his hometown where he was on vacation and, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan. According to Babacan, when Çelik said to Erdoğan, "There is a problem in the collective bargaining negotiations, we need to find a solution," Erdoğan's reaction was quite harsh. Erdoğan expressed his anger to Çelik by saying, "Everyone is telling a different story. You are all saying different things." However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals.Faruk Çelik. Çelik was called to Ankara from his hometown where he was on vacationand, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan. and, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan.and, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan.and, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan.and, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan. and, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan.and, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan.and, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan.and, within a short time, entered into an intense negotiation process to resolve the issue by meeting with President Erdoğan.According to Babacan, when Çelik said to Erdoğan,"There is a problem in the collective bargainingnegotiations,we need to find a solution"Erdoğan's reaction was quite harsh.Erdoğan expressed his anger to Çelik by saying, "Everyone is telling a different story. You are all saying different things." However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals.However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals.However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals.However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals. However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals.However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals. However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals.However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals. However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals.However, the process began to be resolved quickly with Faruk Çelik's solution proposals.

Following Çelik's solution proposal, a serious panic began within the party management regarding the strike postponement. Concerns were raised that the strike postponement could lead to social unrest and that the opposition could exploit this. After these meetings, Çelik held long discussions with Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek and reached a point of resolution. The meetings that started with the unions in the evening hours continued until late at night.

WHO DID TURKEY'S ECONOMIC BUREAUCRACY MEET WITH?

Faruk Çelik and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz reached a consensus in the evening hours and initialed the agreement. Minister of Labor Vedat Işıkhan was hastily called back to Turkey as he was attending the G20 meeting in Brazil. After the agreement was announced to the public, the signing ceremony was held two days later.

The crisis that occurred at the end of the civil servant wage increase and strike process was recorded as a historic moment of Ankara diplomacy. Erdoğan's reactions, the tension among the ministers, and Faruk Çelik's mediation process brought Turkey's political and economic maneuvering capability back to the agenda. Babacan detailed how this event took place and what kind of solution Turkey's economic bureaucracy produced.