Turkish ministry to offer subcontracted workers new status

ANKARA

DHA photo

Subcontracted workers will be employed by the state as “private contracted personnel,” Turkey’s finance minister said on March 23, one day after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced a new regulation for over 700,000 workers across the country was on the way.

“This is a new private personnel status to provide employment in necessary areas of the public sector, especially in part-time jobs,” Finance Minister Naci Ağbal said, adding the new regulation initially involves over 700,000 workers who are employed by ministries, private-budget administrations, circulating capitals, municipalities, provincial administrations and government business enterprises. 

However, transfers to public employment will have some requirements, said the minister.

The candidates will be offered three-year contracts after an examination. 

A perfect candidate for “private contracted personnel” status also must fulfill the requirements valid for all public workers, which are basically related to criminal records.

Once contracted, the privately contracted personnel will have the rights of public workers, while salaries and other financial benefits will be defined in collective contracts. 

No changes will be made in the nature of their jobs. 

Upon retirement, they will have the rights of public workers, which are much more feasible than subcontracted workers today. 

Upon a question posed about the criteria for the staffing, Ağbal said the prospective workers should be working at public institutions before Nov. 1, 2015, must show up on the insurance rescript of the contractors, must be registered within a public institution and must be working at public institutions. 

Ağbal also highlighted that those who are older than the retirement age could not benefit from the regulation and that an examination would be made for the staffing as well.  

“We have previously stated that we would publically employ full-time subcontracted workers. We have concluded the [draft] work [of this regulation]. We are going to employ them,” Davutoğlu had said, while speaking in parliament on March 22. The regulation will include part-time workers as well and that they will be able to continue to work at their current jobs, he added. 

As part of the draft regulation, which is expected to be submitted to parliament soon, initially around 150,000 to 200,000 full-time workers will be employed, as employment of other workers will be increased incrementally. Social security expert Resul Kurt had said he was expecting a regulation which would include only 150,000 to 200,000 workers, however the announcement was broader at about 700,000 people.