Members of the United Public-Labor Confederation wanted to make a statement in front of the Dikmen Gate of the Turkish Grand National Assembly regarding the 2027 Central Government Budget Law Proposal submitted by the government to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The statement was made in front of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance after the security forces did not allow it.
Members opened banners saying "We want a budget that ends poverty, not one that increases robbery" and carried placards saying "Budget for workers, not gangs", "We want to live humanely, not on the edge of hunger", "Reveal the facts, don't play with my bread", "Pensioners want their rights" and "1 month's inflation difference stolen from civil servants".
During the protest, slogans were chanted: "Raise, oppression, torture, this is AKP", "Budget for the people, not the capital", "There are incentives for the rich, livelihood is tight for the citizens", "Don't sleep in the parliament, protect the workers" and "We want justice in taxes".
Chairman Orhan Yıldırım made the statement on behalf of the Confederation. Criticizing the security measures around the Parliament, Yıldırım said that representatives of workers and retirees were tried to be kept away from the Parliament door while the people's budget was being discussed. Yıldırım said:
"What will be discussed is the people's budget; that is, what 87 million will be given to which segment of the public within a year, what will be the rights of labor, what will be the rights of farmers and producers, what will be the rights of retirees... They will be discussed. But martial law is being implemented to keep the representatives of the people, the representatives of the workers, the representatives of the retirees away from the door of the Parliament. No matter how many precautions they take, no matter how many security measures they take, we can travel every corner of Turkey. Still, with the taxes of the people. "We will continue to explain to our people every day how they evade the created budget from the public, how they victimize civil servants, retirees, workers, villagers and farmers, and how they rob them of their sweat."
“WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS HOW THIS INCREASED BUDGET WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO WHOM”
Stating that the budget was increased from 19 trillion lira to 27 trillion lira, Yıldırım emphasized that how the resources will be distributed is important and said:
"The important thing is not to increase the budget in money, but to whom and how this increased budget will be distributed. Currently, the minimum wage is 28 thousand TL, the lowest pension is 23 thousand 500 lira, the hunger line is 34 thousand lira, the poverty line is 123 thousand lira. In other words, a large part of the people is hungry and almost all of the people are poor. With this, we will enter the year 2027."
“WE DO NOT WANT TO ENTER JANUARY WITH 5 PERCENT”
Arguing that the authorized confederations did not put up the necessary struggle during the collective bargaining process, Yıldırım stated that the raises determined for civil servants and retirees were insufficient against inflation. Yıldırım said that 5 percent and 4 percent raises were previously determined for 2027, with 9 percent inflation predicted, and that inflation was predicted to be 21 percent in the new budget, and made the following call:
"Then, before January, the government and the President should gather the economic officials and revise this increase as soon as possible. We do not want to enter January with 5 percent. Since they predict inflation at 21 percent, then they have to bring the fake increases they gave to the same shape with the new budget they envisaged."
Stating that there are resources in Turkey and that the problem is in the distribution of this resource, Yıldırım claimed that 800 billion liras were stolen through funds in the financial markets. Arguing that they wanted to make the public pay the price for this, Yıldırım said that those responsible cannot escape punishment by simply returning the money.
Yıldırım, who also criticized the pressures on the press, said, "You cannot prevent the freedom of thought, freedom of expression and the people's freedom of information in the Constitution. No one can implement a dictatorial method despite the Constitution. Since there is democracy in the country, you have to do what is necessary for democracy."
“BUDGET FOR INCREASING THE WELFARE OF BOSSES”
Arguing that the economic policies of the government are increasingly impoverishing the people and that the interests of the capital are taken into account in the 2027 budget, Yıldırım said, "We demand a budget that ends poverty, not a budget that increases robbery."
Stating that Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz defined the budget as "Endurance, welfare and transformation budget", Yıldırım made the following evaluation:
"It talks about the 'resilience' budget of the poor segment of the population to hunger and poverty; it says 'Let the people become resistant to hunger and poverty'. Since they do not mention the welfare of 87 million people when they say 'welfare', this budget is the budget to increase the welfare of the bosses. And it says 'transformation'; yes, they transformed the economic level of the people. There used to be a middle pillar, this budget is the 'transformation' budget to the economic system where the middle pillar is no longer there."
“What the STATE GIVES FROM ONE SIDE, IT TAKES BACK FROM THE OTHER SIDE”
Stating that indirect taxes have a 60 percent share in budget revenues, Yıldırım argued that the tax burden was left on the public and said:
"They do not receive much from those who earn a lot, but they try to collect taxes from the VAT and SCT they deduct from people's bread, water, and even the slightest shopping in the market. We, the wage earners, are faced with a tax that starts from 15 percent and unfortunately reaches 35 percent and 40 percent after a few months because they did not increase the tax brackets. In other words, the state gives salaries on one side and takes them back on the other."
Stating that the share allocated to public employees decreases while the budget grows, Yıldırım said that this share decreased from 24 percent in 2024 and 26 percent in 2025 to 23 percent in 2027. Yıldırım asked, "Where is the share of welfare for public workers? Where is the share of national income?"
“THEY ARE ONLY TRYING TO SAVE BY CUTTING PUBLIC EMPLOYEES”
Arguing that savings in the public sector are intended to be made through the incomes of employees and retirees, Yıldırım said:
"Have you ever seen the luxury expenditures of the ministries being cut? Have you seen the official vehicles being reduced? Have you seen the number of planes being reduced? Have you ever seen the daily expenditure of the palace go down? The increases there continue without stopping; they are just trying to save on the budget by cutting the salaries of public employees. We will not allow this."
Stating that the resources allocated to education are 2 trillion 900 billion liras and interest payments are approximately 4 trillion liras, Yıldırım also criticized the resources allocated to social aid and health expenditures. Yıldırım said, "We will continue our fight until the end against this policy of the government, which does not prefer the people, but prefers the usurers."
Arguing that TURKSTAT did not disclose the product prices used in inflation calculation despite the judicial decision, Yıldırım stated that they would not accept the imposition of a budget on employees and retirees based on undisclosed data.
“WE WANT THE RIGHTS OF ALL RETIRED PUBLIC SERVANTS TO BE RETURNED IMMEDIATELY”
Stating that the 8 thousand 77 lira wage increase given to working civil servants in July 2023 is not reflected on retired civil servants, Yıldırım demanded that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's promise on this issue be fulfilled. Stating that the amount in question has reached 25 thousand liras per month today and 2.5 million retired civil servants cannot benefit from this right, Yıldırım said:
"If the person at the head of the state utters a word, he does not speak without thinking, he does not say what he would not do, he does what he says. The head of the state keeps his promises and never puts the retirees and their families, which correspond to 5.5 million, in a difficult situation. That is why we condemn Mr. President for not fulfilling his promise since then. We want the President to fulfill his promise before the decision of the Constitutional Court and for the rights of all retired civil servants to be restored as soon as possible."
“THE BUDGET CANNOT BE MADE BY IGNORING THE PEOPLE AND DESPITE THE PEOPLE”
Stating that people are constantly asked for sacrifices, citing wars and economic crises, Yıldırım emphasized that steps should be taken in the 2027 budget to save employees, producers and retirees from poverty. Yıldırım said, "A budget cannot be made despite the public, ignoring the public. What needs to be done for a fair, scientific and humane budget planning is clear; there is no need to invent anything new."
Demanding a fair income distribution and tax system, Yıldırım stated that they want a system where children do not go to bed hungry, those who have no money can access treatment, and retirees do not have to work to make ends meet. Yıldırım completed his statement with the following words:
"This money is the money created in the budget from the sweat of all of us. In other words, it is the money that neither the 600 deputies nor the President brought to the palace from somewhere else. The money is our money, the resource is our resource, the sweat of our brow is our sweat, what is produced is what the farmers produce. In other words, we are the people, the people. You have to give the people their due."
During the statement, slogans such as "Parliament, do not sleep, protect the retirees", "Victory will belong to the workers who resist", "We want to live humanely" and "We will win by uniting" were also chanted.
