Public servant collective bargaining allowance is defined in Article 4 (additional) of Decree Law No. 375 as follows:
- Under the provisions of the Law on Public Servants’ Trade Unions No. 4688 dated 25/06/2001, public servants who are members of trade unions and whose membership dues are deducted from their monthly salary or wages shall be paid a collective bargaining bonus of forty-five Turkish Lira together with their salary or wage in January, April, July and October. Payments made under this article shall not be subject to any tax or deduction except stamp tax and shall not be included in the calculation of allowances, compensations, revolving fund shares, bonuses, wages or similar payments paid under the relevant legislation under any name.
This allowance represents the pay difference between civil servants who are union members and those who are not. It also serves as an incentive for membership in unions. However, non‑member civil servants remain protected under the law: aside from the collective bargaining allowance, no other differential treatment may be applied between a union member and a non‑member. Each civil servant is allowed membership in only one union; if multiple memberships occur, only the first membership is valid.
How Much Was the 2022 Collective Bargaining Allowance?
The collective bargaining allowance was raised from 135 TL to 497 TL in January 2022. Under the 6th Term Collective Agreement, public servants’ salaries were scheduled for increases of 7% in July 2022, 8% in January 2023 and 6% in July 2023, with inflation differences to be paid if they occurred. Since the collective bargaining allowance is indexed to salary increases, a similar rise was anticipated.
Due to high inflation and union demands, the collective bargaining allowance determined on July 5 was set at 706 TL.
When Is the Collective Bargaining Allowance Paid?
The collective bargaining allowance is paid quarterly. It is added to the salaries of union members in January, April, July and October — four times a year.
What Are the Conditions for Receiving the Collective Bargaining Allowance?
The main condition to receive the collective bargaining allowance is union membership. The allowance is granted to civil servants who are not prohibited by special rules from joining a union. In other words, civil servants who are legally eligible to join a union can receive the allowance when they become members.
What Is the Union Deduction?
A union deduction is the monthly amount withheld from a public servant’s salary as union membership dues and transferred to the union. When deductions are made: the employer deducts the dues specified in the membership application form and the union’s bylaws from the public servant’s salary, deposits them into the union’s bank account within five days and sends a copy of the payment list to the relevant union. The employer announces the list of employees whose dues are deducted at the workplace and via other institutional announcement channels during the last week of each month.
How Is the Union Deduction Calculated?
The union deduction is calculated based on the public servant’s gross monthly income subject to stamp tax, the staff grade or position and the percentage set in the union’s bylaws. The deduction amount is capped: it cannot be less than 0.004 of the gross income tied to stamp tax for a civil servant paid at the first step of grade 15, nor exceed one‑thirty‑first of that income. The union’s bylaws may not require any payment other than membership dues, preventing involuntary or excessive charges on members.
How Much Is the Union Deduction?
The union deduction amount is adjusted in line with salary increases, inflation and changes in the collective bargaining allowance. With the July 2022 raise to the collective bargaining allowance, union deductions were also increased: a previous deduction of 33.71 TL rose to 76.68 TL as of July 2022.
Who Is Eligible for the Collective Bargaining Allowance?
The collective bargaining allowance is a right for tenured civil servants who have completed their probationary period. Public servants in professions legally permitted to join unions, such as teachers and doctors, may receive the allowance. When an eligible civil servant joins a registered union, a regular union share is deducted from their salary; the collective bargaining allowance is a separate benefit available to those union members.
Who Cannot Receive the Collective Bargaining Allowance?
Certain civil servants are not entitled to this allowance. Individuals working in positions where union membership is prohibited by professional rules cannot receive it. Other groups excluded from the allowance include:
- Contracted personnel
- Probationary civil servants (who cannot join a union until they become tenured)
- State workers employed under labor (worker) status
- Those who belong to a union other than a civil servants’ union
Which Positions Are Barred from Union Membership?
Restrictions on union membership primarily exist for ethical and security reasons. Article 15 of the Law on Public Servants’ Trade Unions and Collective Bargaining lists positions that cannot join unions, including (summary):
- Public servants in the Presidential central organization, its councils and certain affiliated bodies (with specified exceptions)
- Presidents, members, judges and prosecutors of higher judicial bodies and those considered part of these professions
- Ministers, deputy ministers, top executives of institutions covered by the law and other senior managerial staff at equivalent or higher levels
- Presidents and members of higher education councils, university rectors, deans, institute and school directors and their deputies
- Provincial and district governors
- Members of the Armed Forces
- Members of the National Intelligence Organization
- Personnel working in penal institutions
- Personnel of the Gendarmerie General Command and the Coast Guard Command in specified ranks and statuses
How Is the Collective Bargaining Allowance Calculated?
The collective bargaining allowance is calculated using monthly salaries and an indicator value. The indicator may be adjusted according to inflation and union demands. Currently, the allowance amount is determined by multiplying the indicator figure 2119 by the monthly civil servant coefficient. The result is paid as the collective bargaining bonus and is not subject to any taxes or deductions other than stamp tax.
- Collective Bargaining Allowance = 2119 x Monthly Coefficient
The figure 2119 is the most recently agreed indicator. This calculation and the expansion of covered positions were set during the 6th Term collective bargaining process. The related legal amendment clarified which civil servants are covered and how the allowance amount is determined.
- “Article 23- (1) The phrase ‘public servants whose membership dues are deducted’ in Article 4 (additional) of Decree Law No. 375 shall be applied as ‘public servants whose membership dues are deducted by trade unions that register members exceeding at least 1% of the total number of public servants who could be union members in that service group’, and the phrase ‘forty-five Turkish Lira’ shall be applied as ‘the amount found by multiplying the 2119 indicator figure by the monthly civil servant coefficient’.”