There can be no effective CBA Negotations under One-Man Rule
The Labour Ministry announced that it has changed the starting date of the 8th Term Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, citing that the minister will attend a programme in another country. It is another example of arbitrary practice by the Ministry. The 8th CBA cycle, which will be in force in the period of 2026-2027, will be applied to 4 million active and 2 million retired public employees. The Ministry’s unilateral and arbitrary decision is another example of ignoring laws that particularly affect professional life.
In addition to the existing problems of the current CBA system, which is far from a universal collective agreement, it was announced by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Vedat Işıkhan, that the negotiations will start on Monday, 28 July, not on 1 August. It is a clear violation of the ‘Law No. 4688 on Public Servants’ Trade Unions and Collective Bargaining’.
KESK knows that there are inherent problems with the existing CBA mechanism, and the previous CBAs did not result in favour of public employees. In this regard, we are fully aware of the role of the pro-government / ruling party unions and confederations. Still, KESK calls on the Minister of Labour Vedat Işıkhan to act under the law; we underline that our confederation, which is the voice of all public employees, will continue to struggle to protect the public employees’ rights through our legitimate and de facto struggle.
In light of these facts, KESK leaders and members will be in front of the Labour Ministry building to reveal the truths about the CBA negotiations. We will organise a public gathering and inform the public about low wages and working conditions, as well as the pro-government / ruling party confederation’s position on the CBA negotiations.
The public gathering will be held in front of the Ministry of Labour at 12.30 on Monday, 28 July 2025.
KESK Executive Committee