President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said,"When we look at the point that Memur-Sen has reached, we see with pleasure that the movement envisioned by the late Akif İnan has come to fruition. We observe with great pride that the trust is in competent hands, the sown seeds are sprouting, and the planted saplings are bearing fruit."
President Erdoğan attended the Memur-Sen 30th Year Loyalty Meeting held at ATO Congresium.
Greeting the Memur-Sen community, conveying his greetings and love to all Memur-Sen members and public servants who work, produce for their country and nation, and strive for the future of Türkiye, Erdoğan said that he was happy to be together with public servants on the occasion of the Memur-Sen 30th Year Loyalty Meeting.
President Erdoğan thanked Memur-Sen Chairman Ali Yalçın and his team, and the members of Genç Memur-Sen for this meaningful meeting and said,"I congratulate each and every member of the Memur-Sen family, who have left behind 30 years, each page of which is full of success, woven with struggle, and adorned with determination and effort. I wholeheartedly congratulate all my brothers who have served under this roof since its establishment, who have decorated their sweat with ideas, abundance and livelihood. First of all, I pray to God for the mercy of all my brothers who took part in the confederation, who have undertaken duties but are not among us today, especially our union's Honorary Chairman Zübeyir Yetik Bey, who passed away last month."
Remembering Mehmet Akif İnan, the Founding Chairman of Memur-Sen, who said"We could tear all the clothes, the clothes of loyalty are enough for us", Erdoğan said,"I pray to God for mercy on our brother Akif İnan, who dedicated his life to the struggle for justice and truth, who set an example for generations with his pen, stance and courage, who carried Palestine, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem, and the sorrow of the oppressed and victimized geographies as a wound in his heart until his last breath."
Erdoğan emphasized that Memur-Sen, which was established despite all kinds of impossibilities, various covert and overt pressures and bans, is celebrating its 30th anniversary today, and continued as follows:
"When we look at the point Memur-Sen has reached, we see with pleasure that the movement envisioned by the late Akif İnan has come to fruition. We observe with great pride that the trust is in competent hands, the sown seeds are sprouting, and the planted saplings are bearing fruit. Memur-Sen, which refuses to be confined to ideological patterns inherited from the Cold War years, rejects the conflicting understanding of unionism and adopts a principled, responsible and solution-oriented attitude, undertakes to defend public officials on a micro level and our nation and democracy on a macro level, does not waver even at the sharpest bends, stands by the national will in the most critical processes, and protects democracy in difficult times, decorates its success column with new stars every day."
Erdoğan also drew attention to Memur-Sen's stance against political events and noted the following:
"I would also like to state this with great pride. From the February 28 coup that arrogant tutelage centers said would 'last a thousand years' to the April 27 Declaration, from the coefficient injustice and headscarf bans to the closure case against our party that came to power with the votes of our people, from the Gezi uprising to the December 17-25 police and judiciary conspiracies, and to the treacherous coup attempt on July 15, Memur-Sen has stood by our nation and democracy without hesitation in all attacks targeting our independence and future."
President Erdoğan stated that Memur-Sen has always been on the field during the "disaster of the century", the February 6 earthquakes, forest fires, floods and the pandemic process, and continued his words as follows:
"He was with our nation with all his capacity. You successfully represented our nation not only within our borders but also abroad. You have embraced the legacy of Akif İnan, who said, 'Forgetting Jerusalem means forgetting our country. It means forgetting our faith, our identity. It means forgetting our meaning, it means aspiring to slavery.' You became the voice of the oppressed and the victimized with signature campaigns at rallies, projects, reports, research and aid activities. May God be pleased with you.
Apart from this, Memur-Sen has also fulfilled its primary duty properly. With its staff of 1 million 79 thousand people, Memur-Sen has gained significant momentum in international union activities. It pioneered the establishment of the International Labor Confederation, which represents over 30 million workers, with 33 confederations from 25 countries. On the other hand, Genç Memur-Sen, which is also a union school, carries out many studies for the academic, social and cultural development of our youth, the hosts of our future. Our women's commission carries out activities that protect the institution of the family in the face of increasing asymmetric threats. We are proud of Memur-Sen, which has carried out many more successes, activities and important works that we cannot list here."
Erdoğan emphasized that they have worked with love, enthusiasm and uninterrupted effort since the first day they took office to ensure that Türkiye grows, develops and becomes stronger, and that 86 million citizens live in a more prosperous country. He also stated that they have overcome countless obstacles and made significant progress in every field with the help of Allah and the support of our great nation during their 23 years in power.
Stating that they have paved the way for all segments of society with the arrangements they have made at the constitutional, law and legislation levels, Erdoğan stated that they have taken all necessary measures to ensure that public services are provided to the nation effectively, quickly, equally and efficiently.
Erdoğan emphasized that they have strengthened the"Karim" quality of the state more than ever and made the citizens feel this personally, and continued his words as follows:
"With our government, our nation, after many years, has been introduced to an understanding that considers it an honor to be a servant of its people, not a boss who serves himself. A radical paradigm shift has taken place in public administration. We have removed one by one the barbed wires that were drawn between the state and the people during the single-party and tutelage periods. We have brought the Republic together with the Republic. We have embraced the state with the people. Again, during this process, we have implemented very important demands of our public servants in dialogue with our unions such as Memur-Sen. We have strengthened the financial and social rights of our civil servants with regulations whose importance is better understood today when we look back."
"WE HAVE EMPLOYED 460 THOUSAND CONTRACTED PERSONNEL IN 2023"
Erdoğan underlined that they had made significant strides in democratic rights during their term in power.
In this context, Erdoğan reminded that they gave an additional degree to public employees in 2002 and 2010, and that they took steps in favor of employees, from pardoning disciplinary punishments to including union representatives in disciplinary boards.
Reminding that they increased the family support allowance, strengthened child support and facilitated the assignment of civil servants with disabled relatives, Erdoğan said,"We granted companionship leave. We ensured that all salary promotions were paid to civil servants. We brought collective bargaining rights to civil servants with the 2010 constitutional referendum. We converted collective bargaining premiums into collective bargaining bonuses. We made significant increases in the salaries and bonuses of our retired civil servants. We transferred 280 thousand contracted personnel to the cadre in 2011 and 2013, and 460 thousand in 2023."
Stating that one of Türkiye's most fundamental problems was discrimination at one time, Erdoğan said that public officials were profiled and subjected to pressure just because they tried to live their beliefs, and were insulted by being called"reactionary, reactionary, sectarian, bigoted" just because they applied their religion to their lives.
Noting that those who say"Peace be upon you" and "Elhamdulillah", those who pray, those who go on the pilgrimage, and those who fast are looked down upon, especially during certain periods, and are subjected to psychological pressure in the institutions they work in, Erdoğan continued as follows:
"During those years, especially in the bureaucracy, they never wanted an ideological caste system to be discussed or debated. They did not recognize the right to life for anyone outside of their own clan, their own faction. They called the nation 'can head', 'man scratching his belly'. They insulted our people with expressions that our decency would not allow here. Yes, we saw all of these and much more together with you. We experienced every kind of oppression together with you to the core. We also shattered the chains that were put on the will of the nation and our democracy together with you, my Memur-Sen brothers. Thank God, those dark days when the naughty minority imposed a lifestyle on the silent majority, put pressure on them and shook their finger are now behind us. We granted unpaid leave to our public employees who wanted to perform the hajj. We implemented the leave regulation that included the time for Friday prayers."
President Erdoğan reminded that they have put an end to the fascist and prohibitive practices regarding the headscarf.
Erdoğan, who stated that today women can work freely in all public institutions without any restrictions, shared the following views:
"From the dark days when our sisters were put in their place from the rostrum because they entered the parliament with their headscarves with the votes of the nation, and when their chastity was immorally criticized in newspaper columns, we have come to the days when we have headscarved judges, prosecutors, governors, ambassadors, politicians and ministers. Our goal is to provide a more solid guarantee in the new constitution for all these gains that we have paid the price for. Only in this way can we completely stop the impudence, arrogance that we witness from time to time, and the intolerance felt when our people use their most basic rights. In order for the generations to come after us not to experience what we experienced, we have to establish and strengthen an environment in this country where no one is ostracized because of their headscarves, beards, turbans or chadors. This is the purpose of all of us existing. The greatest legacy we will leave behind will be such a Turkey. I find the support you will give to our struggle to bring our country to a new, civil and libertarian constitution very important in this respect. From Memur-Sen, Cumhur I expect them to contribute to our Terror-Free Türkiye initiative, which we initiated as an alliance and carried out as a state project, and to embrace this auspicious process sincerely."
Reminding that they have introduced income tax exemption for all employees, including public officials, up to the minimum wage, Erdoğan stated that they have implemented an additional indicator regulation covering 5 million 300 thousand people.
Erdoğan stated that they made a new regulation for the collective agreement bonus that the main opposition party took to the Constitutional Court and had it annulled, and that they ensured that this bonus would be paid to all public servants who are union members, and that they had recently successfully completed the reassignment work of university administrative staff and put it into effect.
Erdoğan stated that they have spread union awareness in the public sector, and that while the unionization rate of public servants was 47.94 percent in 2002, this rate increased to 75.18 percent in 2024.
Noting that the number of union members in Türkiye, which was 650,770 in 2002, has increased to 2 million 251 thousand today, Erdoğan noted the following:
"While there were 44 unions 23 years ago, today we have 286 unions. This summary of the picture clearly shows the importance we attach to the development and growth of public unionism. I would also like to express the following here. With the increases we made in January 2025, we brought the lowest civil servant salary to 43 thousand 726 liras. With this increase, the real increase in the lowest civil servant salary since 2002 has increased to 266 percent. Now we have a new collective bargaining period ahead of us. The 8th Term Public Collective Agreement negotiations, which will cover the years 2026-2027, will hopefully start in August. In these negotiations, we will listen to the demands of the unions carefully, observe the facts, and take care to draw a road map that balances the possibilities of our economy with the welfare of our public employees. I would like to emphasize this with all my sincerity: the struggle we have given for our public employees in 23 years, the steps we have taken, the reforms we have implemented are obvious."
President Erdoğan said that as the Turkish economy grows, they ensure that the added value that emerges is distributed fairly to all segments of society.
Emphasizing that it is their primary duty to properly protect the rights of public officials, such as producers, farmers, laborers, and industrialists, to improve their conditions, and not let them be crushed by inflation, Erdoğan said,"Just as we have improved the social, financial, and personnel rights of our public officials so far, we will act with the same principle in the new collective bargaining process, God willing."
Stating that, as Turkey, they are struggling to heal the wounds of the February 6 earthquakes, the total cost of which exceeded 100 billion dollars, while trying to manage the conflicts and crises in the region with peace, Erdoğan underlined that they did not allow the Russia-Ukraine war, which has completed 3.5 years, to spread to Türkiye.
Recalling that Türkiye is one of the countries that has taken the clearest stance against Israel in the Gaza genocide that has been ongoing since October 7, 2023, Erdoğan noted the following:
"We have cut off all commercial transactions with the genocidal Israel, thus getting rid of a total of $9 billion. While the main opposition party was slinging the mud of terror at the Palestinian resistance, we stood tall next to our Gazan brothers. Finally, we are working hard to prevent the attacks of Israel and its supporters on our neighbor Iran from turning into a bigger disaster. We never approve of attacks on Iran's sovereignty and the security of our region, no matter who they come from, and we clearly state our reaction."
Recalling that Türkiye hosted the 51st Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul for two days last weekend, Erdoğan reported that they will go to The Hague tomorrow to attend the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit.
"We, our Foreign Minister and our other friends are mobilized to prevent irreparable pain. We are all concerned with taking our country from the stormy waters whose waves are constantly rising to calm waters as soon as possible," said Erdoğan, emphasizing that they are acting not with one-day policies but with a long-term perspective that sees the dangers beyond the mountain and takes precautions against them early.
President Erdoğan said,"Our nation should rest assured, we have done whatever needs to be done to prevent any harm to 86 million people, we will do it and we are doing it."
Erdoğan pointed out that they have started to see positive results from the economic program that has been implemented with determination for the last 2 years despite all the difficulties, and said that as the inflation targets are achieved, the increase in purchasing power will be felt more and the winners of this will be all 86 million people.
Emphasizing that short-term calculations always cause Türkiye to lose, Erdoğan said,"Populism has burdened this nation with very heavy costs in the past. We do not give credence to the provocations of those who used to make big noises in the election arenas and now throw municipal workers out. If you pay attention, on one side Israel and its partners are attacking our neighbor Iran, and on the other side the leader of the main opposition party is trying to deal a blow to the Turkish economy and national brands with the irresponsible boycott lists he has brought up again."
"WE WILL CONTINUE TO WALK WITH CONFIDENT STEPS ON THE PATH WE KNOW IS RIGHT"
"He is shamelessly playing with the people's bread in order to protect 3-5 pickpockets who have extorted the business world, tradesmen and merchants through municipalities," said Erdoğan, continuing his words as follows:
"Nobody should take offense, while we are surrounded by a ring of fire, targeting national brands that provide employment with new boycott lists at a time like this is not negligence, but declaring war on the economy. No one who follows the world, loves their country, and has a sense of responsibility towards their people can act so unconsciously and arbitrarily. In fact, we have seen many times in the past that their concern is not the rights of our public officials and workers. They said, 'We will not lay off anyone,' and when they had the opportunity, they threw tens of thousands of workers out without a shred of mercy. Today, we know very well that they have no other purpose than to enrich their supporters, to build money towers with what they stole from the people, and to establish troll armies with the people's money to insult this or that person. Let alone giving us advice, we will never fall into the trap that those who would not normally be able to go out into the people want to pull us into. We will continue to walk with sure steps on the path we know is right."
President Erdoğan said,"The collective bargaining processes of approximately 600 thousand workers working in the public sector are continuing. The vast majority of these brothers and sisters consist of workers we have recruited from subcontracted labor. I believe that a fair and rational result will be reached here as well."
"WE WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT"
Stating that they will also solve the problem of protective clothing and equipment, which has caused various grievances, Erdoğan reminded that the relevant bill was submitted to the Presidency of the Parliament by the AK Party Group last week.
Erdoğan wished that the 30th anniversary of Memur-Sen would be beneficial for Türkiye, the nation, unions and public employees, and wished the Memur-Sen family many more 30 years filled with service, struggle and success.
Erdoğan said,"I pray to God for mercy on all our elders who serve their country and nation under this roof, especially Mehmet Akif İnan. I thank my brother Ali Yalçın and his management once again for this beautiful meeting. May God increase our love and make our solidarity and brotherhood permanent."
