Public workers unions march against decree

ANKARA/SAKARYA

The Union of Bureau Laborers and Turkish Bureau-Sen union hold a protest in front of the Finance Ministry to protest a decree that removes overtime pay. DAILY NEWS photo / Selahattin SÖNMEZ

Members of public workers’ unions marched earlier today to the Finance Ministry in Ankara to protest a decree that removed their overtime pay.

The Union of Bureau Laborers (BES) and Turkish Bureau-Sen union held a protest in front of the ministry as they went on strike for one day.

Another group of union members who started to march to Ankara from Istanbul arrived in Sakarya today. The group protested a decree that removed public workers’ overtime pay, additional pay and bonuses, and also demanded that those recruited as contracted public workers be stable staff.

Büro Memur-Sen’s head, Yusuf Yazgan, said they were marching for six days in protest of the decree, adding that they are planning to arrive in Ankara on March 6. Yazgan claimed that their salaries decreased 200 to 500 Turkish Liras after the decree.