Announcement
Announcement
Cultural Workers' Union Declaration
Our Demand Is a Fair Wage and a Life of Dignity! The government's pay increases are out of step with the real cost of living and are impoverishing workers more with each passing day.
CULTURAL WORKERS' UNION DECLARATION
Our Demand Is a Fair Wage and a Life of Dignity!
To the Press and the Public
As the Cultural Workers' Union, ahead of the salary increase decision to be reached through the 2026–2027 collective bargaining agreement on 15.08.2025, we are compelled to draw attention to the deepening economic hardships faced by workers and to voice our demand for justice loudly.
Since the beginning of 2025 in Turkey, price increases in energy, food, and basic necessities have far exceeded official inflation figures. While electricity prices have risen by 10–30%, natural gas by 38%, and fuel by 10–18%, food inflation has reached 43.58%; vegetable prices have surged by 125%, fruit prices by 60%, and basic foods such as meat and dairy products have seen increases exceeding 30–40%.
For July 2025, the authorized union Memur-Sen accepted a 5% pay increase. The inflation adjustment and prosperity share set at 10.57% — along with other wage increase rates determined entirely by the government — are unacceptable.
Our struggle for a life of dignity — one in which basic rights such as healthcare, nutrition, housing, and education are provided to all, equally and free of charge — continues with growing strength.
Our demands for the upcoming salary negotiation are clear:
1. The elimination of tax injustice and the removal of the tax burden on low-income workers. 2. That pay increases for workers be structured to compensate for the price increases in energy, food, and basic necessities above all. 3. A fair pay increase based on scientific data and grounded in real inflation rates! 4. Given the losses resulting from the application of blanket pay increases: we demand that all supplementary and ancillary payments be reflected in our retirement contributions.
THE KNIFE HAS REACHED THE BONE
As cultural workers who toil day and night to keep the values of this land alive, we will not accept having our demand for a dignified life ignored.
We respectfully announce this to the public.
CULTURAL WORKERS' UNION
