The Post and Telegraph Organization (PTT), Turkey’s state postal service, is preparing to introduce a new pay-per-parcel system that unions say will strip couriers of worker status, union rights, and social security, effectively turning them into gig workers.
The plan, which labor representatives describe as “privatization,” would replace formal employment with a model where couriers are treated as independent contractors.
Süleyman Şen, head of the postal workers’ union PTT-Sen, told bianet that the system would not only affect employees but also have broader consequences for citizens. “This piecework system means the full privatization of an already subcontracted cargo sector,” he said.
“By removing the employer-employee relationship, it shifts parcel delivery, including state-run shipments, entirely to private companies through a courier model," he added. "We believe this will eventually extend to postal workers and lead to full privatization of the institution.”
Workers refuse to switch
Şen said the model was first tested in Urfa, where over 20 workers were shifted to the new system. While no one was dismissed at that stage, outside hires were brought in under the piecework scheme.
In Adana, the pilot program began on Aug 1, leading to the termination of 51 workers without severance pay. “They were dismissed without any explanation,” Şen said. “Not a single worker accepted the new model. The company continues with replacements brought in from outside.”
Noting that subcontracted workers are already showing resistance, Şen said, “The fact that no one in Adana agreed to switch is proof.”
Many workers still believe the system will not be fully implemented, he further said. “This was tried twice before and failed."
‘A silent transition’
Neither the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry nor PTT has issued a public statement about the change, Şen noted, saying, “There has been no communication to workers or the public, and even parliamentary questions are left unanswered. They are pursuing a silent transition."
Şen also criticized the existing subcontracting system itself. “We are not only opposing the piecework model. The government promised in late 2018 that subcontracting would end in public institutions. The subcontracting system at PTT must be dismantled as well,” he said.
Calling attention to PTT’s public status, Şen urged political parties to act. “Every opposition MP must put effort into bringing this issue to light,” he said.
Risks of new system
In an Aug 3 statement, PTT-Sen outlined the potential consequences of the piecework model:
Subcontracted workers would lose their employee status, union rights, job security, and social security.
Workers would be reclassified as independent contractors providing services to PTT, isolating them from unions and collective bargaining.
Rights such as overtime pay, weekly rest days, and annual leave would be eliminated.
Contract renewals would be at PTT’s discretion, with dismissed workers denied severance pay.
All costs—social security contributions, taxes, accounting, vehicle leasing, and fuel—would be shifted onto workers.
Monthly fixed expenses would reach about 12,000 liras, forcing couriers to deliver at least 140 parcels per day just to maintain current income levels.
Workers would pay penalties to PTT for late deliveries.
PTT would bear no responsibility for workplace accidents or injuries, leaving workers without social protection.
Marketed as “being one’s own boss,” the model would even deprive workers of the right to file lawsuits.
(BK/HA/VK)
