New regulation for staff workers on the way: PM

Hacer Boyacıoğlu – ANKARA

AA photo

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced a new regulation on March 22, which he says will end the subcontractor labor system by offering permanent staff positions to over 700,000 workers across the country.   

“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,” said Davutoğlu, adding that the regulation will include part-time workers as well and that they will be able to continue to work at their current jobs.

As part of the regulation, initially around 150,000 to 200,000 full-time workers will be employed, as employment of other workers will be increased incrementally. 

Talking to broadcaster CNN Türk, social security expert Resul Kurt 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.  

The regulation, which is still in draft form, is expected to be presented to parliament in the coming days.

Workplace safety for subcontracted workers has been a contested issue in Turkey of late, as the number of worker deaths the country has recorded stands far above European countries. 

According to figures from 2015 by Turkey’s Worker Health and Work Security Congress, at least 1,730 workers were killed in work-related accidents.