Government and TÜRK-İŞ Confederation Agree on Collective Labor Agreement

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The government and the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-İŞ) have agreed on the Collective Labor Agreement for 2019-2020.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), according to the Collective Labor Agreement signed by the parties, the workers with a wage less than 3,500 Turkish Lira (TRY), or around 625 US Dollars (USD), a month will receive 150 TRY, or 26 USD, as bonification.

As for the wage increase of all workers, a wage increase of 8 percent will be applied for the first six months this year and an increase of 4 percent for the second six months. As for the year 2020, a wage increase of 3 percent will be made in the first and second halves of 2020 in addition to a wage increase at the rate of margin with the inflation.

According to the latest figures announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute on August 5, the annual consumer inflation rate was 16.65 percent.

Demands of the TÜRK-İŞ Confederation

The wage increase was shared with the public yesterday (August 12), namely the second day of official holiday for Eid-al Adha, after Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services Minister Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk and TÜRK-İŞ Chair Ergün Atalay came together to further negotiate on the details of the 2019 Term Public Sector Collective Labor Agreement.

After Minister Selçuk and TÜRK-İŞ Chair Atalay addressed the journalists at the press conference, they signed the collective labor agreement.

Before the negotiations started earlier this month, the TÜRK-İŞ demanded that the lowest wage be increased to 3,500 TRY, all public workers have a gross wage increase of 300 TRY on an equal basis as well as a wage increase of 15 percent in the first six months and an increase of inflation+3 percent in the second, third and fourth halves. (EMK/SD)

* Photograph: Anadolu Agency (AA)