24.08.2025 01:32
After not receiving the requested raise in negotiations with the government, Memur-Sen initially decided not to send a member to the Arbitration Board. However, Memur-Sen has now reversed its decision and announced that it will send a member to the Arbitration Board due to the public employer's uncompromising stance.
The Confederation of Public Servants' Trade Unions (Memur-Sen) announced that it will send a member to the Arbitration Board during the 8th Term Collective Bargaining process.
FINAL TURN IN THE SALARY NEGOTIATIONS FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS The 8th Collective Bargaining negotiations, which closely concern nearly 6.5 million public servants and retired public servants, have reached a deadlock. In the negotiations that started on August 1, the Public Employers Committee and Memur-Sen could not reach a joint decision on the salary. Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan stated that the final decision would belong to the Public Servants Arbitration Board.
MEMUR-SEN TOOK A STEP BACK Minister Işıkhan said, "We will all respect the decision made by our Arbitration Board." While the Public Employers Committee submitted its application to the Arbitration Board, Memur-Sen, which initially stated that it would not apply, took a step back. Memur-Sen announced that it would send a member to the Arbitration Board.
THEY WILL SEND A MEMBER TO THE ARBITRATION BOARD In a written statement made by Memur-Sen, it was stated, "The 8th Term Collective Bargaining process resulted in a deadlock due to the public employer's attitude that disregards the public servant and retiree in the general part. A meeting record has been prepared, which includes 58 articles that were agreed upon. Despite our statement that we would not apply to the Arbitration Board, which we said was acting as a notary for the public employer, the public employer side initiated the Arbitration process by applying to the Arbitrator. During this process, we witnessed that some groups insisted that Memur-Sen should not send a member to the Arbitrator and that the collective agreement should be taken to the Parliament. In light of the relevant articles of the Law, we carefully examined the situations that would be in favor of and against public servants in our consultations and evaluations. At this point, if we do not send a member to the Arbitrator, the agreed-upon 58 articles that go before the Arbitrator will be disregarded, and the fate of our previous gains will be condemned to uncertainty, which will be against the public servant," the statement said.
Memur-Sen General President Ali Yalçın "IF THE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT GOES TO THE GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TURKEY, ITS FATE WILL BE UNCERTAIN" In the statement, it was noted that if the collective agreement goes to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, its fate will be uncertain: "Indeed, in the 58 articles that were agreed upon and recorded in the meeting minutes, there are income items for many titles, from branch managers to chiefs, from engineers to experts, and from General Administrative Services to Auxiliary Services. If the collective agreement goes to the Parliament, the fate of these will be uncertain. Because it is clear that the Parliament will not make decisions considering all the articles in the meeting minutes. What will be given and how much is unknown.
Leaving the rights and interests of public servants to an unknown fate is a move that we, as Memur-Sen, do not find appropriate. Those who tell us not to send a member to the Arbitrator are those who do not carry the responsibility we bear, who do not have the burden of an egg basket, or who are unaware of the aforementioned 58 articles or act as if they are unaware. As the authorized union sitting in the position of responsibility, we look at the issue not with reaction but with reason and logic, and we act meticulously. We are fighting in the Board to turn the 58 articles agreed upon in the collective bargaining negotiations into gains."
"NO ONE SHOULD TRY TO TEACH US UNIONISM" The statement emphasized that Memur-Sen will always defend the rights of public servants: "We have enough union experience and knowledge not to take into account the guidance of those who consciously ignore these dimensions of the issue and misinform the masses. No one should try to teach us how to do unionism. Our responsibility is primarily to our members and to the public servants we represent at the collective bargaining table.
We will not allow anyone who wants to sacrifice the rights and interests of public servants for their political and union interests to lead us into an unknown path by abandoning the path that would allow us to achieve gains. We all know that the main source of this problem we are experiencing is the current union law. Without correcting the distortions of this law, a fair negotiation and an impartial arbitrator's decision are not possible. What needs to be done is to urgently enact a new union law. As Memur-Sen, we will continue to defend the rights and interests of public servants under all circumstances. No one should expect us to choose the path that leaves public servants in uncertainty."
NO RESULTS FROM THE FIRST MEETING On the other hand, no results came from the Arbitration Board meeting that public servants were eagerly waiting for. It was stated that the next meeting would be held tomorrow, and the figure would be announced within 5 days at the latest.
WHAT IS THE ARBITRATION BOARD? The Arbitration Board consists of 11 members, 6 of whom are appointed by the President.
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Four members of the committee are from Memur-Sen, one is from Kamu-Sen, and the other member is selected by the President from the academics nominated by Memur-Sen. Thus, the weight of the government in the committee is clearly visible.
IMPORTANCE AND PROCESS OF THE ARBITRATION COMMITTEE'S DECISION The decision of the Arbitration Committee will be final and will have the force of a collective agreement. It is expected that the decision will be announced within 5 days after the application.
WHAT WAS OFFERED? In its latest offer, the government proposed a 11% increase for the first six months of 2026, a 7% increase for the second six months; a 4% increase for the first six months of 2027, and another 4% increase for the second six months. The proposal also included a suggestion to improve the base salaries by 1,000 TL. While there was no expectation for an increase in the salary rates proposed by the unions, there was an expectation for an adjustment in the base salary. However, no new offer came from the government until midnight.
DEMANDS OF THE UNIONS Memur-Sen has a proposal for a 88% increase for 2026 and a 46% increase for 2027. Additionally;
A 10,000 TL increase and a 10% welfare share increase for the base salary in 2026, A 7,500 TL increase for the base salary in 2027, Increasing the collective agreement bonus to 2,925 TL per month, Monthly rent assistance of 17,600 TL are also on the agenda. IT WILL AFFECT 6.5 MILLION PEOPLE With the completion of the process, the collective agreement increases to be applied in 2026 and 2027 will be clarified. The gains obtained will directly affect 4 million civil servants and 2.5 million retired civil servants.
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