Teachers working at the Private Italian High School in İstanbul’s Beyoğlu district went on strike today.
Joined by the Tez-Koop-İş union, the teachers gathered outside the school in heavy rain. Afterwards, they performed traditional folk dances and distributed lokma pastries.
The teachers said there is a stark disparity between them and their colleagues from Italy at the same school in terms of pay, status, and working conditions. They stated that the strike became inevitable after their demand for “equal pay for equal work” went unmet and months-long negotiations reached an impasse.
‘Sixfold pay gap’
Speaking on behalf of the teachers, Selahattin Karakurt, head of the İstanbul No. 5 Branch of the Tez-Koop-İş Union, delivered the press statement.
Karakurt stressed that the strike was not solely about pay, and said, “Today, we are not only here to demand our rights, but also to restore our violated professional dignity. We have run out of words in the face of the administration’s indifference. Words are no longer enough. Let the strike speak the final word.”
Karakurt said the union had been at the negotiating table for nearly two months, but the school administration had not taken a single concrete step since Dec 10 to resume talks. He said the administration had shut down all channels of dialogue and emphasized that the strike is a constitutional and legal right.
Although local staff carry the same teaching load and academic responsibilities as their Italian colleagues, Karakurt said they earn up to six times less.
He added that while tuition fees had increased by approximately 300 percent in euros over the past four years, teachers’ salaries had only gone up by 30 percent. He said this disparity had no moral or ethical justification.
He noted that the administration offered local teachers a zero percent raise for 2025 (since collective bargaining talks begin in August 2025), a 15 percent raise for 2026, and again zero percent for 2027.
“This is an insult to education and an attack on labor,” he said, adding, “We are not asking for charity, but for what we are rightfully owed. The principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’ must be implemented immediately, based on salary standards at comparable foreign schools.
"We once again call on the school administration, which has turned a deaf ear to our proposals, to meet us at a reasonable solution that will prevent further harm to our students, ease the rightful concerns of parents, and uphold the dignity of our teachers. Our goal is to establish a work environment where labor is valued. We expect you to return to the table with a rational, fair, and sustainable offer.
"The school administration should know that we will not leave this front gate until we win. We are here, we are committed to a solution, but we will not take a single step back from this legitimate struggle until we receive what is rightfully ours.”
Karakurt also called on the Education Ministry and the Foreign Ministry to take responsibility and help protect the professional dignity of the teachers.
‘This is a fight for dignity’
Başak Baysallı, a Turkish language and literature teacher, told bianet that going on strike was an extremely difficult decision for the teachers.
She said around 20 of the nearly 50 teachers at the school are Turkish nationals and expressed her belief that the process was being deliberately prolonged.
“They object to everything. They’re intentionally dragging out the process," she said. "I see this as a form of attrition. The dominant message at the school is: 'If you don’t like it, leave'.”
Baysallı, who has been a teacher for 22 years, said labor rights violations in private schools are nothing new, but organizing a union requires great courage.
“It was never all roses. In my early years, we worked under very tough conditions in prep schools. And today, we are still working under nearly the same circumstances," she said. "Organizing in this profession is very hard. Overcoming fear is very hard. Trusting each other is very hard. But we broke through. This is the first strike in a private school in many years.”
Baysallı added that the hardest part of the strike was being separated from their students. She added that they were sent off with applause, which became "an unforgettable moment."
“None of us wanted to be apart from our students. It was incredibly difficult. It was very hard to walk out," said Baysallı. "Before we left, students filled the hallways. They applauded us as we left. We were all moved to tears. It was perhaps one of the most emotional moments of my life.”
Call to Italian authorities
Baysallı reminded that the Private Italian High School is affiliated with the Italian Foreign Ministry and called on officials in Italy: “We want the Italian Foreign Ministry, the Italian Consulate General in İstanbul, and the Embassy in Ankara to hear our voice.
"We want an inspection to begin at the school, documents to be reviewed, neutral authorities to come, and for the truth about what we’re going through to be revealed.” (HA/VK)
