Ankara – In a powerful display of defiance and determination, the Confederation of Public Employees' Unions (KESK), a leading advocate for public sector workers' rights, has announced its intention to establish an "alternative collective bargaining table" in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security on August 1st. This bold move precedes the official commencement of the 8th Term Collective Bargaining Agreement (TİS) negotiations, set to begin on the same date for the 2026-2027 period.

Symbolic Protest: "The Worker's Will Shall Prevail!"

KESK Co-Chair Ahmet Karagöz, addressing the press from their general headquarters in Ankara, declared, "On August 1, 2025, we will share our demands with the public and the press at the alternative TİS table we will set up in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security." He emphasized that "the collective bargaining table is not for cronies, but an arena for labor's struggle," inviting all public employees to "object to the poverty trap and unite in the struggle." This initiative is a clear challenge to the traditional negotiation process and the perceived influence of pro-government unions.

Nationwide Mobilization: Demands Gathered from 30 Provinces

KESK is embarking on an ambitious pre-TİS campaign, spanning from July 16th to August 1st. According to Karagöz, the confederation will conduct extensive fieldwork across 30 provinces, covering the East and Southeast Anatolia, Black Sea, Aegean, and Marmara regions. This comprehensive effort aims to directly gather demands from organized public employees in their workplaces. Furthermore, KESK plans to meet with labor and professional organizations, as well as democratic mass organizations in these provinces, to collectively strengthen the foundation of the TİS struggle. Karagöz underscored that this process is not limited to KESK's organized structure but draws strength from the public and all organized segments with whom they stand in solidarity.

KESK's Core Demands for the 8th Term TİS:

KESK has articulated a set of fundamental demands aimed at providing lasting solutions to the long-standing problems faced by public employees:

• "No Collective Bargaining Without the Right to Strike!": KESK argues that the current system renders union activities merely symbolic and demands that the right to strike be constitutionally guaranteed.

• "End Precarious Employment, Secure and Permanent Positions!": Highlighting the anxiety of hundreds of thousands of contractual and precarious workers regarding their future, KESK demands immediate provision of permanent and secure employment.

• "Fair Wages and End to Interview Tyranny!": They insist that additional and supplementary payments, which constitute a significant portion of public employees' salaries, should be integrated into the basic wage. KESK also calls for an end to the interview process that disregards merit, demanding that all public appointments be conducted through a transparent, equal, and written exam-based system.

• "Abolish Heavy Tax Burden on Wages!": Emphasizing the unsustainable tax burden on salaried employees, KESK demands a reduction in indirect taxes and a fair restructuring of the progressive income tax system.

• "Law No. 4688 Must Be Rewritten!": The confederation asserts that Law No. 4688, which hinders genuine representation of employees and renders unionism ineffective, must be rewritten in line with public employees' demands, based on a democratic and liberal understanding.

• "3600 Additional Indicator for Everyone Without Discrimination!": KESK demands that all public employees who have reached the 1st degree be granted the right to a 3600 additional indicator, without any distinction based on title, position, or service class.

• "No Salaries Below the Poverty Line!": Karagöz reminded the public of the June 2025 data from KESK's affiliated Office Workers' Union (BES) R&D unit, stating that the hunger line is 35,000 TL and the poverty line is 85,000 TL. He noted that public employees currently struggle to live on wages that are less than half of the poverty line, while retirees are condemned to salaries even below the hunger line. He stressed that this dire situation is not unique to public employees but is the shared fate of farmers, tradesmen, livestock breeders, workers, and retirees.

"We Object to Policies That Revive Capital and Ignore Labor!"

Ahmet Karagöz also vehemently criticized the current economic policies: "The economic policies implemented today are an updated version of the neoliberal IMF policies imposed by the government through Mehmet Şimşek. These programs are policies that revive capital, ignore labor, make the rich richer, and impose destitution on the working class. We object to this system and organize for the rights of labor."

KESK, by setting up an alternative table in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security on August 1st, has once again declared its determination to intensify the struggle against union structures that have grown under the shadow of the political power and prioritize the interests of the ruling party. The confederation affirmed its commitment to continue being the voice, conscience, and fighting force of public employees, stating that they will spread across Anatolia to bring the demands of the workers to Ankara.