Government and public union sign new labor contract raise in 2017

The government sealed the collective bargaining deal with the union confederation of public workers and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security on July 3. 

The contract includes a 7.5 percent raise for the first half of 2017 and a 5 percent raise for the second half of the year, to be followed by a 3.5 percent raise in each half of 2018, plus wage improvements.

The Turkish government completed the collective bargaining process with the public workers union confederations Türk-İş, Hak-İş, TÜİŞ, and Kamu-İş, as well as the Labor and Social Security Ministry and the Finance Ministry.

Yıldırım has said the foreseen raise for 2018 is conditional on the future inflation rate and the possible gap between the wage increase and inflation will be compensated for.

He also stated that the supplemental appropriation has been raised by 50 percent and will become 750 Turkish Liras.

With the labor contract, the minimum wage for public officers and public laborers has been balanced with the additional improvements to the wages of public laborers.

"For laborers whose gross wages are below 3,000 Turkish Liras, there will be an increase of 90 Turkish Liras," he said.

"With this improvement, the minimum wage of public laborers will not be less than the minimum wage of public officers," he added.

Issue of subcontractor and interim workers brought to table

Turk-İş President Ergün Atalay has raised the problem of subcontractor workers and has called on the government to employ subcontractor workers.

"Take those subcontractor friends under the roof of the government," Atalay said in the press conference held to sign the agreement on July 3.

"Give whatever you give to the...