Türkiye's civil servants stage nationwide one-day strike over salary dispute

ISTANBUL, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Civil servants in Türkiye went on a one-day nationwide strike on Monday at the request of union confederations after negotiations with the government over salary increases broke down.

The unions announced the one-day strike on their respective websites after finding the government's second offer -- which would affect 4 million public employees and 2.5 million retired civil servants -- insufficient.

The government's first offer included a 10 percent raise for the first half of 2026, six percent for the second half, and four percent for each half of 2027. In its second offer, which was made last week, it added 1,000 Turkish liras (24.46 U.S. dollars) to the base salary.

Ali Yalcin, president of Memur-Sen, the largest union confederation representing more than 550,000 public sector employees, said the proposal is "non-negotiable."

He noted that the unions had proposed a total raise of 88 percent for 2026 and 46 percent for 2027, combining base salary increases and percentage-based raises.

Local media reported that the strike disrupted transportation services across the country.

All commuter train services in the western port city of Izmir were canceled, while operations were also suspended in several other cities, including Eskisehir, Aydin, Denizli, Zonguldak, and Karabuk, according to the Sozcu Daily.

The country has long struggled with high inflation for several years, driven largely by rising food and energy prices. In July, the annual inflation rate fell to 33.5 percent, the lowest in nearly four years. ■