Public employees protest over salaries

On the first payday of 2026, civil servants in Turkey took to the streets in 81 provinces to make their voices heard. İzmir was one of the locations for the simultaneous press conferences organized by employees affiliated with Memur-Sen and Eğitim-Bir-Sen. Union members gathered in front of the Provincial Social Security Institution (SGK) directorate in the city, chanting slogans and demanding the establishment of income justice and the resolution of wage imbalances.

Memur-Sen İzmir Provincial Deputy Chairman Ekrem Özdemir emphasized that the growing salary gaps among public personnel are negatively affecting workplace morale. Özdemir stated, "Today, as public servants and the Memur-Sen family, we are in squares across 81 provinces to say: 'End the imbalance in wages, the injustice in income, and the unrest in the public sector.'"

Pointing out that the salary increase rates provided in collective bargaining agreements do not offer sufficient protection against inflation, Özdemir noted that this undermines fairness in wages. During the statement, slogans such as "The civil servant is here, where is Şimşek?", "We are civil servants, we are right, we will win", and "Let the government hear, protect the rights of civil servants" were frequently heard.

Stating that salary differences among public employees are steadily increasing, Özdemir addressed the causes of unrest in workplaces, saying, "The gap between us and our colleagues in different statuses, with whom we work in the same room, has deepened. This situation has disrupted workplace peace and discouraged civil servants."

At the same time, stating that the burden of inflation on fixed-income earners is unacceptable, Özdemir said, "We do not accept the bill for inflation, which we did not cause, being passed on to fixed-income earners. The Ministry of Finance must abandon this distorted approach; fair distribution must be the basis."

Özdemir also criticized the fact that only fiscal policies are decisive in the decision-making processes that determine personnel rights, stating, "We do not want a collective bargaining table where only fiscal policies are decisive. We do not want our future to be determined by an Arbitration Board that does not even have the courage to question market realities. We do not want the financial and social rights of more than 4 million public servants and more than 2.5 million retired civil servants to be compressed into a short period of 1 month and treated as a fait accompli."

Pointing out that the public personnel system needs to be transformed into a holistic structure, Özdemir said, "We want a personnel reform worthy of the 'Century of Turkey.' A system where career steps are clear, the wage scale is determined based on duties and responsibilities, and losses experienced during retirement are eliminated is now inevitable." Emphasizing that union rights should also be improved, Özdemir stated that the current union law does not meet expectations.

Regarding the improvement of public servants' salaries, Özdemir warned, "Unrest in the public sector will not end without a welfare share that reflects on retirement. Postponing this increases the social cost," adding that employees are only demanding what they deserve.

Özdemir concluded his statement by saying, "We want fair compensation for our labor, justice in the public sector, and workplace peace."

News Source: 12punto