NEWS
Yalçın's intervention on NTV and AKİT TV on "The purchasing power at half-mast of civil servants"
02.08.21, Monday
Ahead of the collective bargaining that will start on August 02, Ali Yalçın responded to the journalists of NTV and AKIT TV about the economic difficulties that public sector workers have been suffering for the past 18 months.
Pointing out that the living conditions of civil servants have deteriorated significantly, Ali Yalçın said, "The Memur-Sen Confederation has demanded a 21% salary increase for 2022 and 17% for 2023, which is a total of 38%. As a reminder, two years earlier, Memur-Sen had refused to co-sign the previous collective agreements, which were sanctioned in favor of the Government by arbitration. The government's intransigent position towards public employees has resulted in unprecedented economic suffering for public employees", adding that: "For this reason, we have requested a compensatory increase of 600 TL/month for the losses incurred during the period of previous collective agreements. Finally, we asked for an additional 6% increase in order to make up for the delay in terms of social welfare of public employees. Although no statement on the subject has been made by the public employer, we believe that it is necessary to take into account the social welfare of workers. On this particular point, we will show the utmost conviction and intransigence," he said.
Asked about the negotiation process and room for maneuver, Yalçın stressed that the Memur-Sen Confederation had invited the other 2 main confederations to form a common front in the collective bargaining process. "We have been working together on proposals with the Kamu-Sen Confederation, which has responded positively to our invitation. " he said, adding that "the public employer should not remain impervious and indifferent to the demands of public sector workers, nor should it hide behind the excuse of 'public budget constraints', but should prove its commitment to the collective bargaining process, which should be seen as useful, fair and effective, in line with the objective of social welfare," he said.
Yalçin also said that the employment of contractual workers in the public sector should be stopped and those working in public institutions and organizations (including local governments) as contractual workers should be transferred to civil servant positions until 31.01.2022.
Regretting the shortfall in the number of internal examination competitions held by only 32 percent of administrations, Yalçin also stated that : " In order to promote efficiency and professionalism in the public service, the examination is the instrument through which the principle of equality and merit is realized. Giving importance to merit in both promotion and recruitment is a vital necessity in terms of service quality. Tests for recruitment, promotion and advancement of civil servants must be held regularly in all public institutions. The institution of merit-based assessment and grading must not be left to the discretion and arbitrary decisions of superiors. ", he said.
Responding to questions about the economic hardships of public servants, Yalçın said he was very concerned about the abnormally high income tax rate of public servants: "Considering the relatively low standard of living of public servants, the current income tax is only increasing and increasing the inequality of living standards, we will also insist on this issue.", he concluded.