Confederation of Trade Unions of Public Employees (KESK) members marched at Taksim against the low pay rise of government for the civil servants.

The Public Workers' Arbitration Board decided on a 4 percent rise in each of the first and second halves of this year, and 3 percent in each half of 2013.

These are the final figures of the board headed by Comptroller General Recai Akyel. Around 2,6 million civil servants and 1,9 million retired civil servants will be benefited from the raise rates determined by the board.

The protesting group came together at Galatasaray Square and marched to Taksim Square shouting slogans.

"Tax burden falls on the worker and laborer"

Arzu Erdoğan made a statement on behalf of KESK İstanbul Branches Platform:

"Deputies of Justice and Democracy Party announced 'there are no resource and if we allow for an extra raise, we have to increase the taxes'. However they distort the facts, in this country, everyone knows that the tax burden is already on the workers and laborers. "

"The government protects the interests of capital owners rather than improving the social state nature by allocating resources to employment, exempting minimum wage from taxes, resetting the VAT on basic consumer goods, implementing a wages policy to meet the basic needs of the employees. "

"The government has no difficulty in finding source while providing $ 157 billion to capital owners however when civil servants ask for their rights, they answer 'we have no sources'. This is unacceptable." (NV)