YOL-İŞ Union Extraordinary Board of Presidents met today at the union headquarters in Ankara under the chairmanship of Chairman Ramazan Ağar. At the meeting, the effects of the Presidential Decree dated September 4, 2026 on transportation policies, the future of public services and the working life of road workers were evaluated.
In the statement published after the meeting, it was stated that the privatization of highways cannot be considered only as an economic model change and the following was noted:
"Abandoning public resources and strategic transportation infrastructure to the profit mentality of the private sector will have serious consequences such as increasing tolls, decreasing public revenues, weakening the job security and social rights of employees. In a basic public service such as transportation, the priority should not be profit, but public interest and the citizen's right to safe, accessible and affordable transportation."
“TENDER CONDITIONS AND EMPLOYEES' SITUATION SHOULD BE EXPLAINED”
In the statement, it was pointed out that the highways are of strategic importance in terms of the country's economic life, transportation security and logistics capacity during disaster periods, and the details of the privatization were requested to be disclosed to the public. The statement included the following statements:
"Will this strategic infrastructure, which emerged with the large investments made by the state, be operated with the public interest in mind, or will the main purpose be the profitability of the private sector? Tender conditions, operating periods, revenue sharing, guarantee mechanisms, investment obligations, the situation of the employees and the financial burdens it will impose on the public should be explained in a way that the society can understand."
“CITIZENS ARE NOT CUSTOMERS OF THE ROAD”
The statement emphasized that the main purpose of public services is not to make profit but to meet the needs of citizens and said, "Citizens are not the customers of the road; the citizen is the owner of the public service. The duty of the state is not only to build the road, but to ensure that the road is safe, accessible and usable by all segments of the society."
It was stated in the statement that privatization could lead to an increase in tolls, and that the increase in transportation costs would be reflected in the entire economy and the cost of living.
“PUBLIC ASSETS SHOULD NOT BE PRIVATIZED FOR SHORT-TERM GAIN”
In the declaration, it was stated that highways are public assets created with the common resources of the society, and that the economic picture that will arise if the operating rights are transferred to the private sector should be explained in a transparent and comprehensive manner, and the following was noted:
"Are we giving up the long-term income that the state and the nation will obtain in the future in order to obtain a short-term income today? The value of a public asset cannot be measured only by the tender price to be obtained today. These values, which are the common property of the state and the nation, should not be privatized for the sake of short-term gain; they should be protected by taking into account the interests of our nation and the public interest."
“STATE CONTROL SHOULD NOT DECREASE IN STRATEGIC TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE”
In the statement, it was noted that highways are not a commercial enterprise and that it is vital to keep the roads open and uninterrupted transportation in extraordinary situations such as earthquakes, floods, fires and major accidents. In the statement, it was emphasized that maintenance, repair, personnel and security expenses cannot be seen as an area of savings, and the statement was used: "Sometimes a human life can pay the price for savings made on highways."
The statement warned that there may be service differences between highly profitable routes and regions with low traffic density, and noted that privatization could increase regional inequalities.
“EMPLOYEE RIGHTS SHOULD NOT BE MADE A SUBJECT TO NEGOTIATION”
In the statement, the following assessment was made regarding the possible effects of the privatization decision on the working conditions of road workers:
"We do not accept the weakening of job security of any employee, the reduction of wages and social rights, or the expansion of subcontracting. Employing employees doing the same job in different statuses and creating differences in wages and social rights disrupts labor peace. We do not want injustice among employees who do the same job, give the same effort, and assume the same risk."
In the statement, which asked to explain the burdens that practices such as vehicle and income guarantees would impose on public finance, it was said: "A system in which the profit will be left to the private sector and the loss to the public is unacceptable. If the resources of the nation are at stake, every penny must be accounted for."
In the statement stating that YOL-İŞ will continue the democratic and union struggle for the withdrawal of the decision, the following statements were made:
"We defend not only the asphalt of these roads, but also their labor. Defending public property means defending the nation's rights. Defending the worker's job security means defending the future of the family. Defending safe roads means defending human life. We, the workers, will continue our struggle, shoulder to shoulder, with one heart and in an organized manner, with the power we receive from science and law, to defend our rights and the interests of our country and nation on the country's roads, as we have for years."
