INTERNATIONAL NEWS > KESK Delivers Strong Message Ahead of 8th Term Collective Bargaining: "The Only Way Out of This Dark Picture is Joint Struggle!"

ANKARA – The Confederation of Public Employees' Trade Unions (KESK) held a press conference in Ankara concerning the 8th Term Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) process, under the banner, "Not those who agreed to misery in 7 CBAs, the labor struggle will win." KESK Co-Chair Ayfer Koçak described the current CBA system as "absurd" and emphasized that the only way forward for public employees and retirees is through united struggle.

"A System in Name Only, Neither Fish Nor Fowl"

The press conference was attended by KESK Co-Chairs Ayfer Koçak and Ahmet Karagöz, along with General Secretary Sevgi Yılmaz and members of the Confederation's Central Executive Board. Before the main statement, KESK General Secretary Sevgi Yılmaz noted that despite requesting an appointment from the Ministry of Labor for 1.5 years, they had received no response.

KESK Co-Chair Ayfer Koçak, in her speech, argued that the collective bargaining system has been bankrupt for 14 years: "Under normal circumstances, workers and laborers in a country eagerly await collective bargaining processes. They see the bargaining table as an opportunity to solve their problems. However, unfortunately, in our country, we face the exact opposite situation. The outcome after every collective bargaining agreement over the past 14 years has led millions of public employees and retirees to feel anxiety, not excitement, as the CBA processes begin. Because all public opinion, especially public employees and retirees, knows that for 14 years there has been a system that is only a collective bargaining agreement in name, truly neither fish nor fowl. Millions of public employees and retirees have been stalled for 14 years with a system that has nothing to do with genuine collective bargaining."

"Arbitration Board is a Fanatical Supporter of the Government"

Koçak asserted that the employer side dictates terms at the bargaining table and accused the "Arbitration Board" of lacking independence: "We cannot even file a lawsuit against the Arbitration Board. In this system that has been going on for 14 years, there are supposedly two sides at the table. But the employer side says, 'I determine the subject, the parties, the scope, whether the proposal brought to the table falls within this scope.' It sees the confederation it calls 'our union' as the sole authority for all public employees and retirees. So much so that in this system, even the possibility of a dispute is preemptively managed. For instance, if the structure that the government calls 'our union,' which is more royalist than the king, fails to reach an agreement due to pressure from public employees, what happens? It goes to arbitration. But who is the arbitrator? Is it the known arbitrator who listens to both sides and makes an independent decision when there is a problem? On the contrary, what has been formed is not an arbitrator, but rather a structure that is a fanatical supporter of the government."

Koçak highlighted that 6 of the 11 members of the Public Officials Arbitration Board, including the chairman, are appointed by the President. She sharply criticized the inability to object to or seek judicial review of the Arbitration Board's decisions.

"The Time to Say 'Enough is Enough' Has Long Arrived!"

KESK Co-Chair Ayfer Koçak emphasized that the current collective bargaining system has failed and is far from resolving fundamental issues: "At this point, the current 'collective bargaining' system, which has dozens of fundamental problems from its scope to the determination of parties, from the lack of legal guarantee for our right to strike to the structure of the Arbitration Board that comes into play in case of dispute, which closes avenues for seeking rights, and is reduced to wage increases indexed to TÜİK's distorted inflation figures, solving none of our fundamental problems, has long gone bankrupt. As long as the current collective bargaining system, which has nothing to do with a real, universal collective bargaining, continues, it is not possible to solve the problems we experience."

KESK's Call for Joint Struggle: "Rights Are Not Given, They Are Taken Through Struggle!"

Concluding her remarks by addressing all public employees and retirees, Koçak stated, "The time to say 'enough is enough' has long arrived. It is in your hands, regardless of which union you are a member of, for this collective bargaining process not to end in disappointment, as in previous periods."

Koçak asserted that the only way out for public employees and retirees is to unite for their common problems and escalate the joint struggle based on the principle that "rights are not given, they are taken through struggle." Stating that KESK is ready to fulfill its responsibility as a labor organization to defend the common rights and interests of public employees and retirees, Koçak called on all confederations and unions to engage in joint struggle for the following demands:

KESK's strong call is seen as an indicator that the upcoming collective bargaining process for public employees will be highly contentious and active.

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