HAK-İŞ/Değirmenci: We Demanded a 73% Increase in Hourly Wage for the First 6-Month Period of the KARDEMİR Contract
Yunus Değirmenci, Vice President of HAK-İŞ Confederation and President of Özçelik-İş Union, announced that they have requested a 73% increase in hourly wages for the first six months related to the collective bargaining agreement covering the years 2025-2026 at KARDEMİR.
General President Yunus Değirmenci stated that they have submitted the draft agreement prepared by the Özçelik-İş Union to the employer and shared details of the draft and union perspectives with thousands of KARDEMİR employees and the public through a written press statement regarding the collective bargaining negotiations that will start on January 1, 2025.
Değirmenci noted that the draft agreement has been prepared for a two-year period, saying, “We have created our draft by bringing together many arguments and data. The first of these was the demands and expectations of our members. Then, by combining the heavy living conditions in Turkey, the current situation of our workplace and production structure, the wage tables from similar workplaces, and the information gathered by our Karabük branch from the field, we presented our draft. We believe that, as in the past, we will emerge from this collective bargaining process with our heads held high and sign a collective agreement that brings joy to our members and their families.”
“73% request for the first six months”
Değirmenci stated, “We have requested a 73% increase in hourly wages for the first six months for our members who work hard at KARDEMİR,” emphasizing that this rate corresponds to the current conditions and realities.
He expressed expectations that this wage increase request would also be met reasonably by the employer, stating, “The ones who have brought KARDEMİR to this point, one of Turkey’s few enterprises, and who have made it strong are the dedicated workers of KARDEMİR. Therefore, we believe that, regardless of the circumstances, the rights and interests of the KARDEMİR workers should also be taken into account by the employer.”
“Reduce the transition period from 5 years to 3 years”
Değirmenci indicated that the article regarding the first transition to a higher wage tier, which he believes is as important as the minimum wage clauses in their draft agreement, is crucial. “Many of our members who start working at KARDEMİR cannot transition to the first tier before completing 5 years. This naturally results in them receiving lower wages compared to their colleagues. A backlog has also occurred due to new worker recruitments. There was a strong and determined demand from our members to reduce this period. In this regard, we have requested that the transition period be reduced from 5 years to 3 years. We will make every effort to achieve this benefit on behalf of our members,” he stated.
Değirmenci also highlighted that they have requested an increase of over 100% annually for monetary social assistance included in the KARDEMİR collective bargaining draft.
He added, “As we mentioned in recent evaluations with our Chairman of the Board, Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir, our request for the permanent employment of our contracted colleagues continues insistently. I wish for the collective bargaining process to bring benefits primarily to our members, our union, our workplaces, our region, and our country.”