Turkish Metal Union Holds Expanded Representatives Council Meeting in Ankara: Unity Emphasized Ahead of Challenging Collective Bargaining Process

ANKARA – The Turkish Metal Union (Türk Metal Sendikası) held its Expanded Representatives Council meeting on Saturday, June 21, 2025, in Ankara, at the Anadolu Hotels Esenboğa Thermal. The meeting, attended by over 900 participants including General Headquarters and Branch Executive Board members, as well as workplace union representatives, was filled with messages of unity and solidarity ahead of a new period of struggle set to begin under difficult economic conditions.

Following a brief informational speech by General Secretary Taliphan Kıymaz, General Chairman Uysal Altundağ took the podium, emphasizing Türk Metal's identity as "the union of firsts" and "the union that creates traditions." Altundağ stated that the union has always acted with common sense, saying, "Today, we are at the beginning of a new and sacred path, a new struggle, for our labor, our bread, our sweat, and the livelihood of our children."

"We Are the Union of Difficult Conditions: Our Work is Hard, But We Will Win!"

In his speech, Altundağ touched upon the union's past successful collective bargaining agreement (CBA) processes, stating that they never deviated from the principle of "Produce, Earn, Win," and always signed the best agreements of each period. He recalled "firsts" such as obtaining seniority raises after minimum wage increases, implementing a "pull-up" mechanism for less experienced workers, and signing an interim wage agreement with MESS in January 2023 due to economic difficulties. He also mentioned signing agreements that satisfied members even during the pandemic, saying they "worked at the cost of our lives."

However, General Chairman Altundağ underlined that the upcoming bargaining period would be different and much more challenging than previous ones. He provided information on serious problems in the Turkish economy, business contractions, currency fluctuations, inflation, global crises (Covid-19, Russia-Ukraine war, US-China trade wars, the Middle East conflict), and their reflections on the metal sector.

"Life is getting harder for us employees every day. Our wages are eroding daily, and the heavy burdens placed on workers have made even making ends meet a luxury, let alone living a dignified life," Altundağ said, stating that the union is making great efforts to prevent layoffs and protect members during this period.

"We Listen to Our Members: Industrial Democracy and Surveys"

Emphasizing Türk Metal's understanding of industrial democracy, Altundağ stated that members' opinions would form the basis of the collective bargaining draft. In this context, he announced that a survey involving all members would be conducted on July 9-10-11, followed by a face-to-face survey by an independent research company on July 16-17-18. Furthermore, he stated that Vice General Chairmen would visit all regions one by one to hold meetings with representatives and gather their views.

Altundağ highlighted the importance of involving young members in union processes, stating that representatives have a significant responsibility: "Almost one-third of our members are under 30 years old. The vast majority of these young colleagues will experience a collective bargaining agreement for the first time in their lives. You are the ones who will warn them against false information and disinformation, protect them from provocations, and teach them to stand by and own their union."

"First to Produce, Then to Earn, Finally to Win"

Referring to the culture of "we have our livelihood if we have our job," Altundağ stated that the union would not only strive for good wages in this challenging period but also act as the "guardian of our breadwinners." He expressed confidence in the unity and solidarity of the union and its members, concluding his speech by saying, "We will emerge from this agreement with our heads held high."

The second part of the meeting, held in the afternoon, continued with a presentation titled "Macroeconomic Outlook" by Prof. Dr. İbrahim Ünalmış, a faculty member at Bahçeşehir University's Economics and Finance Department. Ünalmış shared detailed information on global, national, and metal sector economic developments with the participants.