Sağlık-Sen Calls for Immediate Action: “Unionism is Done in the Field, Not on Social Media; Professional Laws Must Be Enacted Now!”

📍 Sağlık-Sen Meets Constituency in Diyarbakır: The Arena of Struggle is the Field

The Health and Social Service Workers Union (Sağlık-Sen) held its Diyarbakır Provincial Board Meeting on Saturday, December 6, 2025, with strong participation from the regional organization. General President Mahmut Faruk Doğan and Vice President Yasin Barutcu attended the meeting, which provided a comprehensive platform to discuss the future of the union movement, organizational strategies, and the fundamental issues facing healthcare workers.

Diyarbakır Branch President Nurhak Ensarioğlu opened the session, praising the Central Management for its "Social Unionism" approach and services. Ensarioğlu stated that Sağlık-Sen has become a "brand" thanks to the dedication of every member of the organization.

🗣️ President Doğan: “Our 280,000 Members Are the Result of Field Struggle”

Addressing the assembly, General President Mahmut Faruk Doğan firmly articulated the union’s philosophy. Doğan asserted that Sağlık-Sen is leading a transformation in the Turkish union movement by prioritizing tangible action over rhetoric:

“Unionism is not done on social media. Unionism is done in the field. The reason we have 280,000 members today is because of the struggle we wage in the field and because we practice achievement-based unionism.”

Doğan highlighted that Sağlık-Sen operates with a transparent unionism approach, serving over 40 different professional groups, from doctors and nurses to paramedics and social service experts, demonstrating their commitment to being the union that best understands the issues on the ground. He cited Sağlık-Sen Hotels as an example of their social unionism activities.

⚖️ Urgency for Professional Laws and Fair Compensation

The most critical part of President Doğan's speech focused on career security and wage equity for health professionals.

Doğan emphasized the critical need to immediately enact or update Professional Laws for Nursing, Medicine, and Midwifery to meet today's standards. He stressed that these laws are essential for protecting fundamental rights, ensuring clear job descriptions, and formally documenting procedures. Doğan extended a call for joint action to all health unions to prioritize this issue.

Demanding what he termed as "the worth of our diploma," Doğan insisted that health professionals, who invest years of effort into their qualifications, must receive fair compensation:

“Our health professionals must receive the wages they deserve. We do not begrudge anyone else's wages, but we demand the worth of our diploma. We want the continuation of workplace peace.”

Doğan specifically addressed the need for higher pay for night shift workers (doctors, nurses, midwives, etc.), committing to prioritize this issue on the national agenda.

📈 Vice President Barutcu: Highest Share Secured in Collective Agreement

Sağlık-Sen Vice President Yasin Barutcu reiterated the union’s growth through relentless fieldwork, stating they visited every service, family health center, and social service institution to spread their message.

Barutcu reported on the success of the 8th Term Collective Agreement, claiming that Sağlık-Sen’s diplomatic strategy secured the highest share of the budget allocated for all civil servants for health and social service professionals. He highlighted 29 significant gains, including:

• Increased base pay

• Night shift bonus (Gece nöbet zammı)

• Provision of clothing allowance in-kind by the Ministry

Barutcu concluded by stressing that these achievements are merely a start, and the fight for further gains will continue.