Turkey's public sector unionization rate rises to 77.96%

Turkey's public sector unionization rate has climbed to 77.96%, with 2.4 million out of 3 million public employees now members of a union, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. This marks an increase from the previous year's rate of 76.88% and 2.3 million members.

Memur-Sen has maintained its position as the largest confederation, growing its membership to over 1.1 million. In contrast, Türkiye Kamu-Sen experienced a decrease of nearly 24,000 members, and KESK lost approximately 4,700 members. Birleşik Kamu-İş saw a rise of over 23,000 members, while Hürriyetçi Sendikalar Konfederasyonu (HÜR SEN) added more than 7,500 members.

Two new confederations, Bağımsız Kamu Sendikaları Konfederasyonu (KASK) with 36,505 members and Adalet ve Liyakatli Sendikalar Konfederasyonu (AL-KON) with 16,871 members, appeared in the statistics for the first time. This separation accounts for a reported decrease in the total number of independent union members not affiliated with a confederation.

The education, teaching, and science services sector remains the largest, with 1.3 million public employees. Within this sector, Eğitim Bir-Sen, affiliated with Memur-Sen, saw significant growth. Health and social services also reported an increase in union membership.