As the EYT (those blocked by the retirement age) reform reaches its final stages, a range of new debates about insurance and retirement have surfaced in Turkey. One contentious issue has been the exclusion of certain groups—such as those with phased contributions and individuals who suffered losses during internships or apprenticeships—from the scope of the reform. Many people who experienced problems during unpaid or under-recognized internship periods have been particularly vocal in demanding a solution.
New proposals aimed at resolving the internship-related grievances are now being discussed. The long-running national debate over Emeklilikte Yaşa Takılanlar (EYT) is approaching a legal conclusion, and once the bill is debated in the Grand National Assembly, millions may become eligible for retirement. Meanwhile, those who suffered due to internship or apprenticeship arrangements have pushed their own issue back onto the agenda.
SOLUTION FOR INTERNSHIP AND APPRENTICE VICTIMS
Millions of citizens fall under the broader EYT discussion in Turkey, and the pending legislation is expected to resolve many injustices. However, a further gap has been highlighted: the treatment of time spent in internships and apprenticeships. This affects a wide range of people—from vocational high school graduates to future lawyers and doctors—who say their internship periods are not being counted toward retirement.
Because retirement contributions are often not paid for internship or apprenticeship periods, those months typically do not count toward pension rights. By contrast, internships completed abroad are sometimes accepted by the Social Security Institution (SGK), creating an inequality that stakeholders want to address. Although social security contributions recorded during internships usually cover work accident, occupational disease, and general health insurance, they frequently do not include long-term pension contributions—deepening the sense of unfairness among those affected.
THE CLEAREST FIX TO THE INTERNSHIP PROBLEM
Many people experience hardship because insurance recorded during internship periods does not include pension contributions. The underlying remedy is relatively straightforward. SGK already allows different types of retroactive contribution purchases: for example, periods such as childbirth, military service, and overseas residence can be bought back to complete missing contribution days and secure pension eligibility.
Experts proposing solutions say the fix can be simple to implement. They note that a single provision in the SGK law that governs rights under the Social Insurances and General Health Insurance Law (Law No. 5510) would be sufficient. Specifically, adding a clause that permits interns’ and apprentices’ insurance periods to be treated as the start date for contribution records—by allowing those periods to be retroactively purchased—would bring their service times into pension calculations. In practice, this would equalize rights for those who completed internships or apprenticeships domestically with those whose internship time is already recognized, eliminating a longstanding source of grievance.