The Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK) announced a decision to stop work on January 14 in response to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) declaring the 2025 inflation rate as 30.89 percent.
KESK members argued that the announced figures do not reflect reality during a protest held in front of TÜİK. During the demonstration, a banner reading “We will not surrender to TÜİK’s lies” was unfurled, while slogans such as “Budget for workers, not for war” and “We are workers, not slaves” were chanted. Gas lamps were lit to draw attention to high energy bills.
KESK Co-Chair Ahmet Karagöz stated that the inflation rate announced by TÜİK does not correspond to reality, recalling that the Inflation Research Group (ENAG) calculated inflation for the same period at 56.14 percent.
Karagöz said that the increase in the minimum wage remained even below the inflation rate announced by TÜİK, causing minimum wage earners to suffer serious income losses.
Noting that TÜİK data foresee only a limited increase in pensions, Karagöz stated that public employees and retirees effectively entered 2026 with a low salary increase.
Karagöz announced that on January 14 they would use the power arising from halting service production, demanding wages sufficient for a humane life, secure employment, and a genuine collective bargaining system.
KESK Co-Chair Ayfer Koçak also stated that the announced inflation data are fabricated, emphasizing that this situation directly affects both public employees and retirees.
The protest ended with slogans following a brief sit-in in front of TÜİK.