Wage talks for public workers underway

The government has offered a 30 percent increase in the wages of the public sector workers for the first half of 2023, a labor union leader has said.

The government also proposed a base salary of 11,500 Turkish Liras for workers employed in the public sector, said Engin Atalay, the leader of Türk-İş.

Atalay added that the union rejected the offers. "We demanded a 45 percent increase and base salary at 15,000 liras."

The wage negotiations cover more than 700,000 public sector workers.

The union also made 13 demands for side benefits, according to Atalay.

"We told officials representing the employer's side that their offer does not meet our demands," he said.

"They [the government side] said civil servants' salaries were increased by 30 percent in January and offered the same amount of rise for public workers. We told them we cannot accept this. If we fail to reach an agreement, the union will do what a union should do: Go on strike."

Talks were launched at the start of the year but were suspended due to the earthquakes that hit several provinces in the country's south in early February.

The unions had to revise their expectations and demands, and asked for a higher increase due to the elevated inflation, said Mahmut Arslan, the leader of another labor union Hak-İş.

Arslan voiced optimism that talks could be concluded by May 1. "If no agreement is reached by then, we will use our rights. We may decide to go on strike," he said.