KESK's Strong Call from Gaziantep: "We Demand Real Collective Bargaining with the Right to Strike and a Secure Future!"

Gaziantep – The Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK), a significant player in the struggle for public employees' rights, has issued a powerful statement to the government and the public from Gaziantep. KESK Co-Chair Ayfer Koçak, accompanied by Law, Collective Bargaining, and International Relations Secretary Bahadır Berdicioğlu and branch executive board members, met with Gaziantep Branch Platform members. Together, they voiced their demands under the slogan: "We Demand a Real Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Right to Strike, Wages Above the Poverty Line, Secure Employment, a Safe Future, a Democratic and Fair Working Life, and Public Service for the People!"

A Resounding Voice from Gaziantep: "Our Fight for Rights Will Continue"

KESK's visit to Gaziantep is particularly significant as it precedes the upcoming collective bargaining period, allowing the union's demands to be articulated from the grassroots. KESK executives and Gaziantep Branch Platform members participating in the press conference sharply criticized the economic hardships faced by public employees, precarious working conditions, and the erosion of democratic work environments. The statement emphasized that ensuring the well-being and rights of workers is essential for improving the quality of public services.

KESK's Core Demands: The Right to Strike and a Humane Living

KESK's demands, articulated from Gaziantep, address the chronic issues that public employees have long raised:

• Real Collective Bargaining with the Right to Strike: KESK asserts that for public employees to have genuine bargaining power in collective bargaining processes and for their right to strike to be recognized, it is fundamental to union struggle. KESK criticizes the inadequacy and superficiality of the current collective bargaining system, demanding that civil servants, like other workers, be granted the right to strike.

• Wages Above the Poverty Line: It was highlighted that due to inflation, the purchasing power of public employees' salaries has eroded, with many struggling to live below the poverty line. KESK demands a wage policy that ensures a humane standard of living, above the poverty line.

• Secure Employment, Safe Future: The increasing prevalence of precarious employment forms in the public sector, such as contracted, proxy, and outsourced positions, raises significant concerns about employees' future. KESK demands that permanent and secure employment be the basis for all public sector workers.

• Democratic, Fair Working Life: Demands include an end to workplace pressures, arbitrary appointments lacking merit, and union discrimination, aiming to establish a democratic and fair working environment.

• Public Service for the People: KESK stands against the commercialization and marketization of public services, emphasizing that conditions must be provided to offer equal, free, and high-quality public services to all citizens.

KESK stated that these demands are crucial not only for public employees but also for the entire society that relies on quality public services. The confederation conveyed its unwavering determination to continue its rightful struggle.