The 7th Term Public Collective Agreement negotiations, which will determine the financial and social rights of approximately 4 million public servants and more than 2 million 300 thousand retired civil servants for the 2024-2025 period, will start as of August 1st.
Making statements about public employees and retirees, Confederation of Civil Servants Unions (Memur-Sen) Chairman Ali Yalçın noted that there should be a regulation for retirees as well, and underlined that civil servant salaries should not be less than 30 thousand TL.
There are only a few days left for the 7th Term Public Collective Agreement negotiations, which concern approximately 7 million public servants and retirees.
Speaking on a television program he attended, Ali Yalçın, Chairman of Memur-Sen, stated that retirees should not be forgotten during the meetings and that regulation is necessary.
Noting that the incomes of public employees also decreased in the economic crisis environment, he stated that the increase in the inflation rate was insufficient.
Touching on the issue of not applying to retirees the hefty increase given to public officials, Yalçın said that the expectations of the retirees were not met in this regard.
Stating that the lowest salary for retirees is 9,800 TL, Yalçın said, "How will you survive with this number? In retirees, civil servants' salaries decrease especially when they retire. There is a need for improvement regarding retirees as soon as possible. While working, the spouse receives child support, but when he retires, he does not receive it. You must be able to receive 75-80% of the salary you receive while working so that you can survive well. Some payments were made in a way that would not be reflected in retirement. This is why retirees are struggling."
Stating that the additional wage increase for public officials was left incomplete, Yalçın reminded President Erdogan's promise that "The lowest civil servant salary will be 22 thousand liras" and said that the lowest salary is around 20 thousand liras.
"By the lowest salary, servant salary and single salary are expressed. Here, it is expressed as 22 thousand liras because it is calculated on the basis of married, unemployed, child benefit and spouse benefit. We have a debt of 650 TL as civil servants. This promise must be fulfilled first. We will start with the issue of equalizing the lowest salary to 22 thousand TL. We will say that we need to talk about it first, whether it is a percentage or something," Yalçın added.
"THE RAISE MUST BE ABOVE INFLATION RATE"
Stating that the increases in the inflation rate were insufficient, Yalçın stated that the Central Bank could not meet the targets set.
"This contract will start on 1 January 2024 and end on 31 December 2025. In such an inflationary environment, in an environment where the figures change from today to tomorrow, let's make this contract and keep it on the forecast for the future. I also say that the Central Bank's inflation target was met only in 2010. Other than that, none of them did. In this systematic, we say that collective agreements weaken our hand. You tell us to guess the numbers that the Central Bank cannot predict. We say either the scale mobile system or the welfare share should be given. Increasing the inflation rate is not a raise; we say the raise should be on it," Yalçın stated.
"CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARY SHOULD NOT BE BELOW 30,000 TL"
Stating that they shared hunger and poverty line figures in the past, Yalçın stated that it is important to share data by taking data across Turkey.
Expressing that TÜİK data has not shared data since 2022, "The Economic and Social Council should meet and this data should be made public in the council. Today, a man who earns less than 30 thousand in the civil service has no chance of surviving. It should not be less than 30 thousand. Where the rents are so high. How will the officer survive? With these fees, there is no chance to buy a house and car after this time. It should not be below 30 thousand, it should be above," Yalçın said.