With an anti-labour hostility that would ‘make previous governments green with envy’, the Palace regime is aiming to effectively eradicate trade unionism through targeted policies.

The unionisation rates announced by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security have once again revealed that the working class has been left isolated, unorganised and without security. The unionisation rates, published every January and July for six-month periods, are hitting rock bottom. According to the Ministry’s July figures, although the number of registered workers in the country increased by 931,391 compared to January 2026, the proportion of unionised workers has fallen. The unionisation rate among workers has fallen to 13.79%. Six months ago, this rate was calculated at 14.45%. Accordingly, whilst only 14 out of every 100 workers are unionised, this figure drops even further when public sector workers are excluded from the calculation. When public sector workers are excluded, the unionisation rate for private sector workers falls to as low as 6%.

THE AUTHORISATION THRESHOLD IS BEING IMPOSED ON WORKERS

The constitutional trade union right is being usurped under the AKP government. The 1% threshold required for a trade union to represent workers at the collective bargaining table (TİS) is being imposed on workers. Whilst workers are being forced into disorganisation, a trade union that managed to overcome this undemocratic sectoral threshold has announced that its membership figures were underreported. The independent Mining Workers’ Union had announced, having calculated its membership figures before the data was released, that it had exceeded the threshold. The union stated that, whilst the Ministry’s figures showed it at 0.97%, its authority was not granted due to arbitrary practices.

The fact that 86.21% of registered workers are not members of any trade union means that 86 out of every 100 workers are unable to benefit from collective bargaining that would safeguard their rights.

When broken down by sector, four trade unions fell below the 1% threshold during this six-month period, whilst Dev Sağlık-Sen, affiliated to DİSK, was the only union to clear the threshold. DİSK Textiles, DİSK Press-Workers, Öz Municipal Workers’ Union and Öz Mining Workers’ Union lost the collective bargaining authority they had held in the previous period. The number of unionised workers fell in seven sectors. The sharpest decline occurred in the metal sector. Türk Metal lost 6,874 members in six months, making it the union with the largest reduction in membership. The metal sector was followed by the Textiles, Ready-to-Wear and Leather sector, and the Oil, Chemicals, Rubber, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals sector.

LAYOFFS IN TEXTILES HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

The actions of textile employers – who repeatedly claim that labour is the biggest cost and even consider the minimum wage of 28,075 TL to be too high – have had an impact. Although the number of registered workers in the Textiles, Ready-to-Wear and Leather sector increased by 39,603 over six months, the number of unionised workers fell. The unionisation rate in the sector, which stood at 8.18% in January, fell to 7.41% in July. Of the 1,052,756 workers employed in this sector, only 77,967 were unionised.

Whilst the number of registered workers rose in 19 out of 20 sectors, the number of workers in the Health and Social Services sector fell by 2,330. The sectors where the number of registered workers increased the most were Accommodation and Entertainment Services and Construction. Construction remained the sector with the lowest unionisation rate in the latest statistics.

Hizmet-İş saw the largest increase in membership, with 9,557 new members. Whilst the union operates in the General Services sector—which has the highest unionisation rate in the country—the collective agreement periods for workers employed by local authorities played a key role in this rise.

THE UNITED LABOUR MOVEMENT MUST UNITE ON A STRUGGLE-ORIENTED COURSE

The low level of unionisation is actually a situation we have been observing for some time. For a long time now, the unionisation rate in the country has been high in the public sector but low in the private sector. In the public sector, membership is rising partly through government-led unions, whilst at the same time, unionised workers in the public sector enjoy greater protection compared to those in the private sector. This demonstrates that workers in the private sector are unprotected and lack job security. By keeping unions it does not favour below the threshold or just barely above it, the government is effectively wielding the sword of Damocles over organised labour. The exclusion of Bağımsız Maden İş and Güvenlik-Sen from the threshold is a case in point. Not only is the unionisation rate low in the country, but the threshold also prevents new, democratic and militant trade unions from entering the process.

We have seen significant losses in membership in the textile sector. Developments within the sector and redundancies may have played a part in this. The practice of dismissing unionised workers and hiring new ones is also affecting the rate. Although a worker’s membership remains active for one year after becoming unemployed, it subsequently drops. What we are seeing may also be the result of pre-existing unemployment. One of the reasons for the low unionisation rate in the country is that workers are being intimidated into not joining unions. Whilst 70–80% of public sector workers are unionised, the figure drops to below 6% in the private sector; this cannot be explained away with a phrase like ‘difference in awareness’. There is no protection mechanism for workers in the private sector; the persistently high level of unemployment exacerbates this fear and weakens unionisation. Because trade union rights are not guaranteed, we frequently witness workers being dismissed for being unionised and their subsequent resistance. The government does not provide any safeguards for private-sector workers, nor does it wish to do so. Employers’ wishes are also in this direction. There are two key proposals to change this: Firstly, legal amendments to safeguard trade unionisation. It is essential that legal regulations protecting unionised workers are implemented.

Secondly, and more importantly, it is essential that trade unions strengthen their collective struggle and resistance. Although trade unionisation is weak, even the existing and organised trade unions have forgotten how to wage a serious struggle. Strengthening a more militant, united labour movement—and ensuring that trade unions establish a united front to develop a common resistance—is essential.

DATA CANNOT UNDERMINE WORKERS’ REPRESENTATION

Gökay ÇAKIR, General Secretary of the Independent Miners’ Union:

Unfortunately, in Turkey, politics is conducted on behalf of holding companies and large federations. The Ministry is in the same position. There is a mistake here. Tomorrow (today) we will go to Ankara to hold talks with the Ministry. In the statistics, nearly 300 of our members and our union officials are not being counted. Why? What is the justification? Whilst the workers have granted us authority, no one can take away Independent Miners’ Union’s right to collective bargaining. We will go to court, and we will win, but court proceedings take a year. New figures will be published in six months’ time anyway. Should we keep our current members waiting for another six months, even though we have the authority to negotiate a collective agreement? There is a mistake here, and I believe it must be corrected as soon as possible. We will also ask the Minister: why did this mistake occur? We are heading to Ankara to demonstrate our just demand to the working class, the public and politicians. We are in the right, and the whole of Turkey will hear of our just cause. If the workers have given us their mandate, the matter is settled; we will act accordingly. Whoever stands against us, we will continue our struggle until we secure our rights. We are ready to negotiate a collective agreement immediately at three locations today. We are fighting for the workers to win. We will make it known to everyone how the rights of the working class are being usurped. We stand with the workers, not with the employers or politicians. It is the holding companies and trade unions that are refusing to grant us the authority to negotiate collective agreements. Are they afraid that if we stand shoulder to shoulder with workers who are entitled to their rights, those workers who secure their rights will follow our example and switch from other unions to us?

RIGHTS UNDER ATTACK

Whilst workers’ rights worldwide have fallen to their lowest level in the last decade, Turkey is dragging the average down to rock bottom. According to the 2025 Global Rights Index report published by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Turkey ranks among the 10 worst countries for workers’ rights due to union repression, barriers to collective bargaining and strike bans. Turkey has featured amongst the world’s 10 worst countries for workers in every edition of the Global Rights Index covering the 2018–2026 period, of the 13 editions published by the ITUC to date. Joining Turkey in this category are Argentina, Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Myanmar, Nigeria, Panama and Tunisia.

LABOUR UNDER ATTACK IN THE AGE OF KINGS

The intensifying anti-labour attacks worldwide are driving down unionisation rates. In countries with high unionisation rates, such as Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden, the Ghent system is prominent. The Ghent system refers to a system where unemployment benefits and certain social assistance payments are funded by trade unions, a fact that is also reflected in unionisation rates. The ITUC’s findings indicate that workers’ rights are being eroded worldwide. As highlighted in the ITUC’s Global Rights Index report, the ‘Age of Billionaires’ is robbing labour. Policies that weaken democracy across the globe, paving the way for autocratic leaders and monarchs, are targeting workers. Moreover, employers’ unionisation rates tend to outstrip those of workers worldwide. Whilst the average unionisation rate for private-sector workers in OECD countries remains around 15%, the unionisation rate among employers stands at 55%. In some countries where unionisation rates are relatively low but the take-up of collective agreements is high, the ‘extension system’ – also known as the ‘extension mechanism’ – comes to the fore. The extension system applied to public sector workers with civil servant status in the country enables workers who are not members of the trade union at the collective bargaining table to benefit from the terms of the agreement. In some European countries, such as Austria, Belgium and Spain, collective bargaining takes place on a sectoral basis rather than at individual workplaces.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled İşçi yalnız, örgütsüz güvencesiz bırakıldı, published in BirGün newspaper on July 29, 2026.