Union submits public workers’ wage claims

ANKARA - Reuters

Türk-İş, one of Turkey’s largest union confederations, submitted the 2013 wage claims of around 200,000 public workers from 186 public workplaces, who are union members, to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security on June 5.

“We came to the ministry before regarding Turkey’s realities,” said Türk-İş President Mustafa Kumlu.

The union presented the wage claims to Minister Faruk Çelik. Türk-İş’s demands included an improvement in salaries, raising the minimum wage to 1,800 Turkish Liras, a 10 percent wage increase for the first 10 months, a wage increase of two points above the inflation rate in each of the three following six month periods, an increase in social assistance, and employers paying income tax over 15 percent.