NEWS
Yalçın: "the Government's counter-offer should not disappoint the Civil Servants"
12.08.21, Thursday
Within the framework of the collective negotiations that started on August 02, 2021, concerned about the alarming economic situation of public employees, Ali Yalçın, president of Memur-Sen, answered the questions of the journalists of Anadolu Ajansı news agency regarding the demands and expectations of the Memur-Sen confederation, on the eve of the day of the presentation of the counter-offer by the government.
Asserting that the financial and social benefits of 6 million public employees, including 4 million working employees and 2 million retirees, for the next two years will be decided during those collective negotiations, Memur-Sen President Yalçın said, "The Memur-Sen Confederation has called for a 21 percent wage increase for 2022 and 17 percent for 2023.
Stating that: "In addition, we have requested a compensatory increase of 600 TL/month for the losses incurred during the period of the previous collective agreements. Finally, we have requested an additional 6% increase in order to make up for the delay in terms of the social welfare of public employees", Ali Yalçin added: "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.
As a reminder, two years ago, Memur-Sen had refused to co-sign the previous collective agreements, sanctioned in favor of the Government by arbitration award. The intransigent position of the government towards public employees has resulted in unprecedented economic suffering for public employees who have seen their purchasing power reduce sharply.
Asked about the negotiation process and room for maneuver, Yalçın added: "The public employer will have to prove its commitment to the collective bargaining process, which will have to appear as useful, fair and effective, in line with the objective of social welfare," he said.
Believing that Memur-Sen's demands were reasonable and duly justified, Ali Yalçın added that: "The counter-offer of the Public Employers' Commission should not disappoint public employees. We do not want an offer that would cause despair and create more economic insecurity for public employees, we expect a viable consensual offer from the government," he concluded.