Birleşik Kamu-İş Protests 8th Term Collective Bargaining in Trabzon

Trabzon – The Birleşik Kamu-İş Confederation, continuing its nationwide protests to voice the rights and demands of public employees in Turkey, raised its voice from Trabzon as part of the 8th Term Collective Bargaining negotiations. Members of the Confederation gathered at Trabzon Atatürk Square (Meydan Park), unequivocally conveying the message to the government and authorized unions: "It will be what the laborer says, not your table!"

8th Term Collective Bargaining Process and Public Employees' Expectations

The Collective Bargaining process, which determines the financial and social rights of public employees every two years, is once again on the agenda due to ongoing disagreements between unions and the government. Birleşik Kamu-İş Confederation emphasizes that the announced offers are far from meeting the expectations of public employees, and wages are rapidly eroding under current economic conditions. This protest in Trabzon stands out as an important part of the resistance initiated by the Confederation across Turkey.

Enthusiastic Participation in Trabzon Atatürk Square

Union members and supporters, filling Atatürk Square, strongly expressed their demands with the banners they carried and the slogans they chanted. Slogans like "Decent Living, Honorable Wages!", "Justice in Taxation, Prosperity in Wages!", and "Don't Let Inflation Crush Us, Give Us Our Rights!" echoed throughout the square. In the press statement, Birleşik Kamu-İş officials stated that public employees' purchasing power is decreasing day by day due to rising inflation and high tax brackets, a situation that threatens their decent living conditions.

A Clear Message from Birleşik Kamu-İş to the Government: "The Sweat of Laborers Cannot Be Bargained!"

Confederation officials stated that the announced Collective Bargaining offers are far from compensating for the real inflation-induced losses of public employees. They demanded fair wage increases and improvements in social rights for public employees, who play a key role in ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of public services, to enable them to achieve the standard of living they deserve. Emphasizing the injustices in income tax, the Confederation stated that the percentage deducted from public employees' wages, even in the first half of the year, due to high tax brackets, is unacceptable.

In the announcement made at the end of the action, it was stated that the Birleşik Kamu-İş Confederation would continue its struggle until concrete results in favor of public employees are achieved from the 8th Term Collective Bargaining negotiations, and similar actions would be sustained in different provinces of Turkey. The message, "Not symbolic decisions made at your table, but the voice of the laborer rising in the squares will be decisive!", was supported with strong applause by the participants.

This protest once again highlighted the dissatisfaction of public employees with the Collective Bargaining process and their determination in seeking their rights.