A development affecting millions of retirees was raised by the Public Personnel Advisory Board. The board requested that adjustments for retirees, family assistance, and discounts be placed on the agenda, and conveyed these requests to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services. The aim is to pursue improvements in retirees’ rights and benefits.
Talks with the Ministry Have Begun
The Public Personnel Advisory Board (KPDK) has begun meetings with the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services to determine the agenda. According to a statement from the ministry, preparatory meetings have started to shape the items that will appear on the agenda. The statement noted that representatives exchanged views to propose items for the KPDK agenda and that, following the preparatory session, they decided to meet a second time to clarify details of the topics that emerged and to finalize the items to be taken to the council.
The forthcoming meetings are expected to seek concrete steps on issues affecting public employees and retirees. Topics likely to be discussed include additional indicator (ek gösterge), income tax, career development needs, the transition of 4C staff to 4B, calculation of leave in working days, and holiday bonuses. Urgent issues will be prioritized and addressed in order of importance.
Adjustment (Intibak) Request to Be Raised
One of the main items Memur-Sen plans to bring to the KPDK agenda is adjustment (intibak) for retirees. This request was also included in the text submitted to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services before collective bargaining talks began. The proposal aims to provide additional payments to retirees who served in the same title or position but receive lower pensions, in order to close the gap between them and higher-paid counterparts.
If an agreement is reached, the goal is to eliminate pension differences caused by employment at different public institutions among retirees who held the same positions. Those receiving lower pensions for this reason would receive supplementary payments to bridge the gap. Implementing this change would also benefit SSK and Bağkur retirees who seek adjustment.
The Turkish Retirees Association previously requested an adjustment regulation, but the proposal was not acted upon. If concrete steps are taken now, a new adjustment law could regain effect similar to the pre-2000 arrangements. That would allow retirees who left service after 2000 to be included under an intibak framework. The requested reform also anticipates that retroactive amounts to be reflected in the pensions of those who retired before 2000 would range between 50 and 355 TL depending on inflation rates.
Request for Family Allowance for Retirees
The list of demands also covers several other areas affecting retirees. One proposal is to extend family allowance to retirees in the same way it is provided to current civil servants. If adopted, this would modestly improve retirees’ household incomes. Under current rules, family-based allowances are added to the salaries of active civil servants according to family size, but this support does not apply to retirees.
Another request seeks to allow retirees to use public transport free of charge regardless of age. Presently, only people aged 65 and over can use public transport for free regardless of retirement status, while retirees under 65 cannot. This proposal would bring all retirees’ public transportation rights into consideration.
Additional demands include granting retired public servants a 50% discount at all education, recreation, and entertainment facilities operated by public institutions, and ensuring that those who meet all conditions for pension entitlement except the age requirement can benefit from general health insurance.