Collective Bargaining Talks Between State And State Employees Begin

ANKARA - Collective bargaining talks between the state and public employees began on Thursday at a meeting chaired by State Minister Mehmet Kececiler.
Kececiler, who delivered a speech, said that state found an oppurtunity for the first time to talk the problems of state employees.
Kececiler said that the law regulating the organization of public workers and the talks between them and the state was very important.
He went on to say that this meeting could lead to some problems since it would be held for the first time in the history of Turkish Republic.
Kececiler said, ''the important thing is mutual understanding and good intention. The agenda of the meeting will be formed as to the bases of the issues which are regulated jointly in the result of the meetings and works between public administrators and public workers' unions and confederations at Higher Administrative Board.''
He stressed that their aim was to provide the balance in the salaries of civil servants and public workers.
Kececiler said, ''we consider this collective bargaining efforts as a ground which will help us generate views and programs about solution of our common problems not as a bargaining.''
He hoped that their deliberations would be beneficial to public employees.
Bircan Akyildiz, the Chairman of Confederation of Turkish Public Employees Unions (KAMU-SEN) which is authorized for collective bargaining, said that they had reached a very important stage.
Akyildiz noted that the Law on Public Employees Unions no 4688 had deficiencies, mistakes and contradicting provisions and they wanted all these to be corrected.
Confederation of Public Labourers Unions (KESK) Chairman Sami Evren said that they were holding the first meeting in which all problems of public employees would be taken up in the end of their efforts that continued for 12-13 years.
The trade unions had to be granted strike and collective bargaining rights in order to have sanction power, Evren noted.
Evren stated that the law no 4688 did not recognize this right and said that they wanted rise in civil servants' salaries by two-folds and betterment of social rights.
Collective bargaining will cover figures and coefficient to be applied for public employees, wages and salaries, every kind of rise in salaries and compensations, overtime work prices, travel allowances, bonuses, birth, death and family allowance appropriations, medical treatment allowances and funeral spendings, food and cloth allowances, and similar allowances.
Under the law, the collective bargaining process has to be concluded within 15 days. If an agreement is reached during talks, the sides will sign a memorandum and present it to the Council of Ministers.
In case of disagreement, Reconciliation Board will intervene in the process. The board will be comprised of High Arbitrators Board Chairman and four lecturers.
If the sides agree with the decisions given by the board within five days, the final text will be presented to the Council of Ministers. If the sides do not agree with the decisions of the board, all the issues on which compromise is reached and on which the sides contradict, will be sent to the Council of Ministers.
Provisions of the collective bargaining will enter into effect as of January 1, 2003.