Minister Selçuk Announced: No Application Needed! Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Services, has announced an update regarding the short-time working allowance. The minister stated that the allowance has been extended for one additional month and that no new application is required for that extension. The short-time working allowance, which has benefited roughly 3.5 million workers, will be continued for workplaces already receiving the support.
The minister clarified that employers do not need to submit any applications to benefit from the additional one-month extension and that no new eligibility assessment will be applied for this extended period. Minister Selçuk also explained that workers who received the short-time working allowance during the initial three-month period may continue to benefit for the non-working periods within that same timeframe. To date, more than 3.5 million workers have received short-time working payments totaling over 13.5 billion TL.
No Application Required for the Short-Time Working Allowance Extension
No application is required for the extension of the short-time working allowance. Minister Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk reiterated that employers will not need to submit a new request for the one-month extension. However, employers who have resumed normal operations and do not wish to receive the extension—or who wish to reduce previously recorded non-working periods—should notify İŞKUR (the Turkish Employment Agency) about their situation. According to the decision published in the Official Gazette, the İŞKUR Board has determined that as of July 1, 2020, no new short-time working applications will be accepted on the grounds of force majeure caused by external effects.