21.08.2025 01:44
When no agreement could be reached in the collective bargaining negotiations, the process was taken to the Arbitration Board. BBP (Great Unity Party) Chairman Mustafa Destici called on the government to include a welfare share for civil servants, similar to that of workers. Destici proposed that by adding an 8% welfare share on top of the 11% offer, the increase in the first six months could be raised to 20%.
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Nearly 6.5 million civil servants and retired civil servants are closely concerned with the 8th Collective Bargaining negotiations, which have been completed. In the negotiations that started on August 1, no agreement was reached between the Public Employer Delegation and Memur-Sen.
BBP LEADER DESTICI INTERVENED
With the expiration of the time granted by law for reconciliation, the parties applied to the Public Servants Arbitration Board. While millions await the outcome from here, a surprising statement came from the Chairman of the Great Unity Party, Mustafa Destici. Calling for another meeting between the unions and the government, Destici stated, "Now we, as the Great Unity Party, say to our government that the increase in the welfare share made for public workers should also be made for our civil servants, and this agreement should be presented to our civil servants again by adding an 8% welfare share on top of the 11% offer, resulting in a 20% increase for the first 6 months, 7% plus inflation for the second 6 months, and similarly for 2027, an inflation plus an 8% welfare share, so that this agreement can be concluded with a handshake. This way, neither our civil servants nor our retired civil servants will be victimized, and this process will be sweetened."
Here is Destici's statement on the matter;
"Dear brothers and sisters, as you know, collective bargaining negotiations between civil servants and the government have been ongoing for about a month. Our civil servants are represented by authorized unions, and our government is represented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. The government made its first offer. The civil servant representatives found this understandably insufficient. The second offer was renewed with just a one-point increase. They also found this insufficient, understandably. In the third offer, an additional 1000 TL base salary was proposed, along with the previous offer, which included an 11% increase for the first six months of 2026 and a 7% increase for the second six months of 2027, along with a 4% offer for both the first and second six months. Additionally, a 1000 TL increase was proposed for the base salary. Now, this was not accepted, and the collective bargaining negotiations did not result in a reconciliation. And now the matter is going to the arbitration board. The civil servant unions decided to take the issue to the arbitration board. When we look at previous arbitration board decisions, we see that whatever the government has proposed, the arbitration board has accepted that proposal as it is.
Therefore, as the Chairman of the Great Unity Party, I am making a call to our civil servants, civil servant families, our unions, and our government. I propose that one last meeting be held. Here, the government must definitely renew its offer. The offer anticipates an 11% inflation increase for the first six months.
It anticipates a 7% inflation increase within 6 months. The offer is made accordingly. If inflation exceeds, it reflects on the salaries of civil servants. Our proposal is just like the collective bargaining made with public workers, how in the first month of 2026, inflation was around 16%, and our workers were given a 17 plus 8% welfare share. And in this way, the increase for the first 6 months was 25%. Now we, as the Great Unity Party, say to our government that the increase in the welfare share made for public workers should also be made for our civil servants, and this agreement should be presented to our civil servants again by adding an 8% welfare share on top of the 11% offer, resulting in a 20% increase for the first 6 months, 7% plus inflation for the second 6 months, and similarly for 2027, an inflation plus an 8% welfare share, so that this agreement can be concluded with a handshake. This way, neither our civil servants nor our retired civil servants will be victimized, and this process will be sweetened."
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