Public Servants Union Alarm: "5 Months of Inflation Doubled 6 Months of Raises!"

📉 July Raise Vanishes: Civil Servants and Retirees Grew 6.2% Poorer in 5 Months

Türkiye Kamu-Sen President Önder Kahveci evaluated the November 2025 inflation figures announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), analyzing them against the real-life struggles of public employees. The revealed data once again exposed the extent of the financial collapse experienced by public servants.

According to TÜİK data, prices for goods and services increased by an average of 0.87% in November, with annual inflation reaching 31.07%. However, the main loss occurred during the period since the last raise in July. The cumulative five-month inflation for the July-November period climbed to 11.21%.

President Kahveci gave a stark assessment of these figures:

“The 5% raise given to civil servants and retirees in July has become completely ineffective and virtually vanished during this period. According to official data, the purchasing power of public employees has declined by 6.2 points in just three months; the resulting picture clearly shows that the inflation realized in 5 months has doubled the 6-month raise.”

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📌 Reality on the Ground, Not Targets, Must Be the Reference

Kahveci noted that against the backdrop of constantly missed inflation targets, the real wages of public employees are in constant decline. He stressed that price hikes across markets, kitchens, and utilities are placing an increasing strain on the budgets of civil servants and retirees.

The Union President underlined that wage policies cannot be determined solely by mathematical cost calculations, arguing that any policy ignoring the value of labor, the sense of social justice, and the importance of public service is unsustainable. "At this point, the reference must be the realities on the ground, not the targets," he stated.

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⚖️ Türkiye Kamu-Sen Presents Three Critical Demands to the Parliament

Emphasizing that it is impossible for public employees to survive on a mere 5% increase under the current economic conditions, Kahveci presented three essential demands to the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) ahead of the Central Government Budget Law discussions:

1. Welfare Share (Refah Payı): This demand is not a privilege but a mandatory necessity to compensate for the real losses suffered.

2. Inflation Difference: It must be reflected in salaries immediately upon emergence, without any delay.

3. Lump-Sum Raise (Seyyanen Zam) for Justice: Wage disparities among public officials must be eliminated; a lump-sum raise must be implemented to prevent the widening of gaps caused by status, expertise, or managerial roles.

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🤝 Not to Be Left Alone with Financial Hardship: Kamu-Sen is Determined

President Kahveci stated that due to soaring rent, food, education, and health expenses, public employees face a significant predicament. He pointed out that while the workload increases, salaries are eroding.

Expressing the Konfederasyon's determination to continue its struggle, Kahveci reminded that the concept of a social state requires valuing the labor of its employees.

"It must not be forgotten that public employees serving diligently across our country should not be left alone with financial difficulties, wage inequality, and the pressure of poverty... Türkiye Kamu-Sen will resolutely continue its fight for a comprehensive regulation to improve the situation of all public employees and ensure that civil servants and retirees attain humane living standards."