Turkish teachers at Istanbul’s Private Italian High School, Liceo Italiano di Istanbul in Italian, have voted to go on strike after months of stalled contract talks, protesting what they describe as stark pay and rights disparities between themselves and their Italian colleagues.
Italian teachers at the school earn up to five times more than Turkish teachers, despite similar workloads, according to the school’s Turkish staff.
Selahattin Karakurt, an official from a workers’ union representing the Turkish staff, told reporters that they are not objecting to the salaries of the Italian staff but to what they consider inadequate pay for their Turkish counterparts.
He said the teachers want their compensation to be aligned with standards at other foreign schools in Türkiye.
“Our teachers want nothing more than to be in their classrooms,” Karakurt said, adding that they do not wish to disrupt education but believe fair management and equitable treatment are essential for a sustainable learning environment.
History teacher İlhan Gülek said many Turkish teachers have gone nearly three years without significant pay raises.
Gülek said Italian teachers, who are employed in Türkiye under an overseas assignment, naturally receive certain allowances.
“But when privilege turns into discrimination, it becomes a serious problem,” he said, adding that the pay gap, along with differences in union rights and work schedules, has deepened frustration among Turkish staff.
Having exhausted all other channels, he said, the teachers are now moving ahead with a strike to defend what they see as their professional dignity and the value of their work.
