Protest for Tax Justice and Retirement by KESK in front of the Ministry

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The Confederation of Public Employees' Unions (KESK) members held a press statement in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

KESK members gathered in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, carrying banners and placards that read 'We want justice in taxation', 'We are retirees, we are right, we will win', 'General strike', and 'Additional payments should be reflected in retirement', while chanting slogans. KESK Co-Chair Ahmet Karagöz stated that public employees are the ones who carry the country's education, health, local governments, infrastructure, and social services on their shoulders, saying, "For years, we have not received the value of our labor, and we are becoming poorer every day. We will continue to raise our voices against inflation, the high cost of living, and low wage policies. We will continue our struggle for a Turkey where justice in taxation is achieved, additional payments are reflected in retirement, we can live a dignified life, and our right to strike and collective bargaining is recognized. We are uniting our forces and raising our voices against the policies that push us into poverty and insecurity. To receive the value of our labor and to leave a better future for our children, we are going on strike in all our workplaces today and warning the political authority. Because we cannot make ends meet," he stated.

Karagöz emphasized that they want a livable wage and fair income distribution for all workers, stating, "We demand equal pay for equal work. Against this deception of miserable wage increases, we demand that the lowest civil servant salary be urgently raised above the poverty line, to 79,000 TL. We demand rental assistance that corresponds to current data against rental prices that make our housing needs impossible, especially in metropolitan areas. We demand that the minimum wage be raised to a level worthy of human dignity. We demand the establishment of free nurseries in workplaces. In the public sector, we demand merit-based employment, not interviews, meaning secure employment with permanent positions. We demand that across-the-board wage increases and additional payments be reflected in retirement, and we demand a retirement that allows us to live with dignity," he said.