ECONOMY - LABOR

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Turkey’s state postal service accused of forcing couriers into gig work

While the authorities are pushing a "silent transition," many PTT workers refuse to switch to gig work, says an union representative.

1 September 2025 Beyzak Kesmez

Foot-and-mouth outbreak forces market closures, leaves livestock producers struggling

“We had to slaughter some of our fattened cattle early, even though they were healthy, to prevent further spread. No one is buying or selling animals right now. We're just waiting,” said a livestock breeder in Konya's Ereğli, a key hub for dairy production in Turkey.

25 August 2025

Sema Öcal

reports

'No job description, everyone does everything': Precarious conditions strain supermarket workers

"After work, I often find myself thinking, 'I wish I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow.' I’m not planning to stay here long. I’m only working to support myself and help my family," says a worker.

22 August 2025 Sema Öcal

Public sector wage talks stall as government-picked arbitration board to make final decision

Following yesterday's protests and work stoppages, the Memur-Sen union is bringing the dispute to the arbitration board.

20 August 2025

Abdullah Aysu

writes

Akkuyu nuclear plant workers face harsh gendarmerie response during wage protest

The workers, both Turkish and Russian nationals, have reportedly gone unpaid for the past three months.

23 July 2025

Turkey withdrawing from 50-year crude oil agreement with Iraq

The decision comes as the Kirkuk-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline has remained out of service for an extended period following an International Chamber of Commerce ruling.

21 July 2025

Bilge Seçkin Çetinkaya

writes

Open letter to Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek

Türkiye, as a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement, is bound by its commitment to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. The bill’s facilitation of mining, thermal power plants, and aggressive land use policies directly undermines this target.

17 July 2025 Bilge Seçkin Çetinkaya

Hikmet Adal

reports

Turkey enacts law allowing 10 consecutive workdays for tourism workers

The required number of consecutive workdays before a weekly rest in the tourism sector has increased from six to ten. Union leader Gökhan Aslan says the law will lead to "unlimited exploitation."

14 July 2025 Hikmet Adal

Erdoğan signs decree to further increase non-benefit spending from unemployment fund

Labor unions and opposition parties have long criticized the use of te unemployment fund, arguing that the fund’s primary purpose is being compromised by the diversion of resources to employer-oriented subsidies.

14 July 2025

Turkey raises natural gas prices, marking 150% increase in 16 months

Natural gas prices in Turkey continue to rise, bucking the global trend of falling costs.

2 July 2025

Turkey’s unemployment rate at 8.4% in May

Broadly defined unemployment, which includes time-related underemployment, potential labor force, and the unemployed, fell by 1.1 percentage points to 31%.

30 June 2025

TURKSTAT and ENAG inflation figures show twofold discrepancy

According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), inflation in May stood at 1.53% monthly and 35.41% annually. Food prices rose by 32.87% year-on-year, while housing expenses jumped by 67.43%. In contrast, the Inflation Research Group (ENAG) reported an annual inflation rate of 71.23%.

3 June 2025

Turkish Statistical Institute: Financial outlook fails to improve, economic confidence declines

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), the Consumer Confidence Index remained below the threshold level of 100 points in May, with expectations for the general economic situation continuing to deteriorate.

20 May 2025

'They pay Mourinho millions': Workers at Fenerbahçe president’s oil company escalate wage protests

Tüpraş workers have been protesting since the failure of collective bargaining talks on Apr 21 and are now staging full-day work stoppages.

29 April 2025

Turkey’s labor underutilization reaches pandemic level

Despite a slight decrease in unemployment, labor underutilization continues to rise.

29 April 2025

Onur Hamzaoğlu

writes

Turkey's social security system, private hospitals and the function of the World Bank

In the AKP years, when health service provision in Turkey began to be defined as a new area of accumulation for capital owners, private hospitals became widespread across the country. Their number increased from 271 in 2002 to 565 in 2023 and spread to all provinces.

23 April 2025 Onur Hamzaoğlu

Turkish statistical authority ordered to disclose inflation basket data

TurkStat has withheld the item-level price data used in inflation calculations for three years, defying a previous court ruling now upheld on appeal.

22 April 2025

Thousands of workers stop work at Turkey’s largest oil refinery

Workers stopped work for two hours at Tüpraş refineries after 13 rounds of collective bargaining negotiations failed to produce an agreement.

21 April 2025

Hospital construction workers occupy entrance of contractor's HQ

Workers accuse the company of withholding wages and stage a week-long protest at the company’s İstanbul office.

21 April 2025

'Even goats are put on auction': Farmers face growing debt crisis, MP warns

Turkey's farmers are struggling under record debt levels, with livestock, tractors, and farmland being seized and auctioned off through enforcement proceedings, says an opposition deputy.

9 April 2025

Government says shopping boycott had no impact

Trade minister has said that credit card spending increased on Apr 2 despite the boycott, asserting that "the public has boycotted the boycotters."

3 April 2025

Turkey’s state postal service accused of forcing couriers into gig work

Foot-and-mouth outbreak forces market closures, leaves livestock producers struggling

'No job description, everyone does everything': Precarious conditions strain supermarket workers

Public sector wage talks stall as government-picked arbitration board to make final decision

Farmers treated as guilty, authorities play the victim

Public employees halt work across Turkey amid stalled wage negotiations

Local CHP official investigated for disrupting market after potato protest

Central Bank raises inflation forecasts for 2026 and 2027

Seventeen textile workers dismissed after union membership in Dersim

University graduates face unemployment, low wages, and work outside their field

Long power outages disrupt daily life in Antep amid summer heat

Only 14,000 registered agricultural workers remain in Turkey, MP warns

İstanbul retail inflation reaches 42.48% in July

Erdoğan 'postpones' mine workers' strike, bringing his tally to 22

One-third of Turkey's workforce is idle, official data reveals

Akkuyu nuclear plant workers face harsh gendarmerie response during wage protest

Turkey withdrawing from 50-year crude oil agreement with Iraq

Open letter to Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek

Turkey enacts law allowing 10 consecutive workdays for tourism workers

Erdoğan signs decree to further increase non-benefit spending from unemployment fund

Turkey raises natural gas prices, marking 150% increase in 16 months

Turkey’s unemployment rate at 8.4% in May

TURKSTAT and ENAG inflation figures show twofold discrepancy

Turkish Statistical Institute: Financial outlook fails to improve, economic confidence declines

'They pay Mourinho millions': Workers at Fenerbahçe president’s oil company escalate wage protests

Turkey’s labor underutilization reaches pandemic level

Turkey's social security system, private hospitals and the function of the World Bank

Turkish statistical authority ordered to disclose inflation basket data

Thousands of workers stop work at Turkey’s largest oil refinery

Hospital construction workers occupy entrance of contractor's HQ

'Even goats are put on auction': Farmers face growing debt crisis, MP warns

Government says shopping boycott had no impact