04.02.2025 15:25
The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality shared the union's demands in detail during the collective bargaining negotiations for the 2025-2026 period. According to Genel-İş's proposal, it was stated that the minimum net wage requested is 113,000 TL. In response from the İzmir municipality, it was stated, "There is no budgetary counterpart for the union's demands."
The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality stated that the worker protests organized by the Genel-İş Union aim to "pressure the administration by preventing the discussion of certain demands that are impossible to implement on a rational basis" before the 2025-2026 Collective Labor Agreement (CLA).
PROCEEDING WITH A LIMITED NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIVES
In a statement from the municipality, it was noted that the negotiations for the 2025-2026 CLA, which covers 22,000 employees at İZENERJİ and İZELMAN, are progressing as a negotiation process conducted among a limited number of representatives.
The statement claimed that demonstrations and marches contrary to customs were organized with the participation of thousands of workers before and after the negotiations by the Genel-İş Union, and included the following expressions: "The demands in the draft collective labor agreement of the Genel-İş Union do not align with the realities of our country and the conditions of our municipality."
"MONTHLY NET SALARY SHOULD BE 113 THOUSAND TL"
Genel-İş demands that the minimum wage, which is 763.44 lira as of January 1, 2024, be increased by 234% to 2,550 lira for January 1, 2025. Accordingly, the average lowest net salary is calculated to be 113 thousand lira, and the highest net salary is 124 thousand lira, which means the total cost for an employee, including taxes and insurance, can reach 213 thousand lira.
The annual cost of the collective agreement draft belonging only to İZENERJİ, one of our municipality's subsidiaries, exceeds 30 billion lira. This cost does not have a place or counterpart in our municipality's revenue budget for 2025, which is expected to be a total of 74.5 billion lira. The reality presented by the protests is that the union management is trying to pressure the administration by preventing the discussion of certain demands that are impossible to accept and implement on a rational basis."
UNION'S ACTION
The İzmir branches of the Genel-İş Union are protesting, citing the return of 158 workers who were placed on unpaid leave at the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and the halt of the transfer of 236 buses from ESHOT to İZULAŞ as reasons for their actions.