One after another reaction from the unions on civil servants and pension increases

The Türkiye Kamu-Sen statement states that the negotiations of the seventh collective bargaining period, which began on August 1, resulted in a consensus in the service branches and a disagreement on general issues between the Committee of Public Employers and authorized authorities. confederacy on August 22.

Immediately afterwards, the Arbitration Board of Public Servants applied, in the brief, where it was indicated that no rate other than the increase presented to the collective bargaining table was presented and the offer was accepted as it was, and that the rate of increase, which was not accepted.

“WE SEE THAT THEY AVOID RESISTANTLY DISCUSSING SOLUTIONS”

The statement made the following assessment:

“We witnessed the postponement of the problems by leaving the time and effort lost in the collective bargaining process to an arbitral tribunal, in which the representatives of the public employers were in the majority and the officials were defeated 1-0. Despite all our efforts, we have seen that the authorized confederation, unions and public employers refrain from discussing the problems and discussing solutions with all interested parties. We have witnessed this approach turn into a new fiasco in the seventh period, as it did in the previous six-term collective bargaining.”

It is stated that many issues such as the monthly reflection of social participation and the difference in salary inflation, the benefit of retirees from the additional payment of 8 thousand 77 liras, auxiliary workers, the vacation bonus, tax brackets, the rent, transport, heating and food aid were not addressed at meetings of the Public Servants Union Committee during the bargaining process. The statement states:

“It has been seen once again that the current Arbitration Board, with its unfair structure made up of 6 public employers and 5 union representatives, signed a new decision and that the part of the public employers did not have the opportunity to speak. It has been seen that the salary increases proposed both in the collective bargaining and in the arbitration process are even below the expected inflation, and from the statements of the public employer, the increases made to public servants in July 2023 are intended to be discounted. to officials. in 2024 and 2025. In an environment where the official inflation forecast is 33 percent, a total increase of 25 percent in public employees has no other explanation than to crush civil servants and retirees towards inflation. The responsible but ineffective confederation and its unions are responsible for this situation by remaining insensitive to this approach by public employers and helping make things happen.”

The statement states that “those who act with the understanding of ‘only me at the table’ excluding other confederations and leaving public officials at the table demonstrate once again that they cannot do this job.” leave this attitude of the competent but incompetent confederation, which has remained silent, to the conscience of the Turkish officials, to the ignorance of the so-called authorized unions, which have been failing one after another in collective bargaining for 6 terms.” It was said.

EXPLANATION OF MEMUR-SEN

In Memur-Sen’s statement, recalling that the one-month period of the collective agreement has ended today, “as is known, the Memur-Sen Confederation has rejected the percentage increase figures that are far from the reality of the public employer market “We disregard inflation data and expectations and predict that civil servants will be crushed by inflation. We concluded the process with a disagreement with the minutes of the meeting, which included 50 items that ensured our achievements.” Expressions were used.

In the statement, it was stated that many offers for civil servants and retirees, such as salary increases in 2024 and 2025, increase in social participation payment and inflation difference for the month in which the increase was approved, and rent assistance, religious holidays bonus, correction of the deteriorated salary scale were rejected, “Despite all our objections, explanations, despite our insistent opposition and opposition votes, the proposal of the public employer was resolved by the Arbitration Board with the ‘notarial procedure ‘ without being modified”. opinion was given.

The statement, which seeks to demonstrate once again that collective bargaining processes, the Law on Unions and Collective Bargaining of Public Employees and the structure of the Arbitration Board must be changed, included the following statements:

“While the Board of Arbitration should act fairly in terms of providing fairness in the face of hard economic data and market realities, it could not depart from the position of the public employers committee in a way that is inconsistent with its name and impartiality. In the law. The Public Servants Arbitration Panel made a decision based on the public employer’s proposal, not on the voice of community conscience. It has been seen once again that the Collective Bargaining Law and the Public Servants Arbitration Commission are not in a structure to support the burden of more than 6 million people. Our collective bargaining agreement has revealed that the current version of said law does not allow the time, process and future expectations of public officials to solve their problems, and that it must be reviewed by working with the authorized authorities. confederacy.”

The statement noted that Memur-Sen achieved a rate higher than the Central Bank’s inflation expectations in all the collective bargaining that concluded with an agreement, as follows:

“However, the Arbitration Committee has admitted that it is the ‘Public Company Arbitration Board’ with its decision that contradicts the 33 percent inflation expectation announced by the Central Bank, by maintaining the percentage increase on the grounds that that the public company’s percentage offer is appropriate and enforceable. We do not accept the decision of the Employers/Arbitration Committee, which is far from willing to see the truth and make the right offer, which will inflict losses on public officials, and we are making a note.”

THE MINISTER SAID “WE WILL NOT PRESS INFLATION” BUT…

Vedat Işıkhan, Minister of Labor and Social Security, made remarks to civil servants and retirees after the rate of increase to be realized in 2024 and 2025 was determined.

Within the scope of the Collective Agreement of Seventh Validity, which determines the economic and social rights of public servants and retirees in the 2024-2025 scope, the Arbitration Commission was convened on 5 occasions; however, the proposal presented by the government in the previous meetings was accepted.

Despite the rate of increase demanded by Memur-Sen and the rate of increase that fell below the Central Bank’s inflation forecast, Işıkhan’s statements called attention: “We will continue to protect our employees against inflation”.

The Central Bank’s inflation forecast for 2024 was increased to 33 percent, while the forecast for 2025 was raised to 15 percent.

Minister Işıkhan said:

* Arbitration Panel in the scope of our Collective Agreement of Seventh Validity, which determines the economic and social rights of public servants and retirees in the 2024-2025 scope; It has decided to increase the rate to 15+10 percent by 2024 and 6+5 percent by 2025.

* I hope that our Collective Agreement, in which we have made significant progress in terms of other social rights and the acceptance of the 50 articles requested by our public officials, be beneficial for all the actors in our working life, especially for our public . employees, public retirees and their families.

* I would like to thank our Confederations and our authorized unions in general, all the commissions and negotiating committees for carrying out the process within the framework of our principles of mutual understanding, consultation and courtesy. We will continue to protect our employees against inflation with our understanding of social status.

WHAT DID THE OFFICER WANT, WHAT HAPPENED?

The negotiation process, which began on August 1 in the framework of the negotiations of the Public Collective Agreement of the seventh legislature on civil servants and retired civil servants, ended before an agreement could be reached between the authorized union of civil servants Memur-Sen and the government; The Arbitration Commission of Public Servants entered the circuit.

The delegation met five times, but the government’s proposal for an increase presented at previous meetings was accepted.

Memur-Sen had requested a 35% increase in the first three months, 10% in the second three months, 15% in the third three months, and 10% in the fourth three months, including the social assistance portion, for the quarterly periods of 2024.

By 2025, the Confederation required a 25 percent increase in the first six months and a 15 percent increase in the second six months, including the welfare portion, for six-month periods.

In its first proposal on Aug. 14, the Public Employers Committee offered a 14 percent raise in the first six months of 2024, 9 percent in the second half, 6 percent in the first six months of 2025 and 5 percent in the second semester. ; On Aug. 17, it revised its offer to 15 percent in the first six months of 2024, 10 percent in the second six months, 6 percent in the first six months of 2025, and 5 percent in the second six. months of 2024.

The final decision today was to increase 15+10 percent for 2024 and 6+5 percent for 2025.