The resistance started by teachers in Ankara continues with great determination. Refusing to step back despite police interventions and detentions, the teachers have started a hunger strike. The educators are determined not to leave Ankara until all their demands are met.

Private sector teachers and victims of the interview system came together under the leadership of the Private Sector Teachers Union (Öğretmen Sendikası). Their protests have topped the political agenda in Türkiye.

The teachers first gathered in front of the Ministry on June 1 to demand that promises be kept. When their demands were ignored, they gathered again at Güvenpark on June 14. During a harsh police intervention, 41 people, including Öğretmen Sendikası President Eren Edebali, were detained with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

The educators were released the next day, but the hotel where they stayed before the Kurtuluş Park meeting was blockaded by the police. While the march in the park was met with tear gas and batons, Eğitim-Sen President Kemal Irmak and Öğretmen Sendikası executives were detained again.

Crackdowns continued on the third day of the protest. Many teachers, including Union President Eren Edebali, were detained once again. Driven by broken promises and this intense repression, the teachers turned their protest into a hunger strike. Despite police blocking the press and using violence during the intervention, every released teacher is immediately returning to the protest area on Sakarya Street.

The loss of their rights is a direct result of privatization policies. As the government increasingly sees education and teachers as a burden, the number of private schools is rising while public sector positions shrink. The most fundamental demand is the reinstatement of the "base salary" law. This law used to protect teachers economically. After it was repealed, thousands of teachers were left at the mercy of private school owners. Educators have been condemned to minimum wage or even lower salaries, with their social security premiums routinely underpaid.

The 10-month fixed-term contracts in the sector have also become a permanent problem. This practice causes teachers to face the threat of unemployment every year. It makes it harder to prove rights like severance pay in court. Another burning issue is the Ministry's interview system. Despite high national exam scores, 1,611 teachers were screened out and clearly denied their appointments.

Eren Edebali, President of Öğretmen Sendikası, criticized the policies of Minister Yusuf Tekin. Edebali stated that the ministry views teachers and students merely as a burden. He emphasized that the government has opened the door for private school owners to use teachers as cheap labour. The official collective bargaining table that should be set up with the Ministry of Labour has not been established for a year. Edebali said that the Ministry of Labour acts almost like a subsidiary of the employers. He stated that those who negotiate high fees with students run away when it comes to the personal rights of teachers. The Union President declared that they will not accept this system of exploitation.

The justified cry of the teachers on the streets of Ankara also found a wide response in Parliament. CHP Leader Özgür Özel visited the teachers on hunger strike and gave his open support to the resistance. Özel demanded the immediate appointment of the teachers who were victims of the interviews. He also called for the return of the base salary right for private school teachers. Lawmakers with a teaching background from opposition parties including the CHP, DEM Party, and TİP also stood with the educators on the ground. The lawmakers described the harsh police intervention against the teachers and their families as a scene of shame.

The hunger strike continues resolutely in front of the union building. Meanwhile, a delegation consisting of teachers, representatives, and victimized families visited the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. Union representatives demanded that Parliament take immediate responsibility. They requested that the National Education Commission meet urgently to solve the problems of both teacher groups. The delegation declared that they will not return from Ankara until a concrete step is taken.

About the Private Sector Teachers Union

The Private Sector Teachers Union (Öğretmen Sendikası) was founded in 2021. It is an independent organisation that is not affiliated with any confederation. The union represents education workers in private schools, tutoring centres, courses and rehabilitation centres. It has grown rapidly since its foundation and reached 12,000 members in a short time. In its early period, it first drew attention through protests against institutions that illegally forced teachers to work on holidays. Later, it focused on the struggle for a base salary.

Today, the union has three fundamental demands. The first is the reinstatement of the base salary guarantee. Before its removal, this provision ensured that private school teachers could not be paid less than their counterparts in public schools. The second is the abolition of 10-month contracts that leave teachers unemployed for two months every year. The third is the establishment of a separate branch of activity for the sector. The union also provides free legal support to its members. It has brought the precarious working conditions in the sector to the international arena and onto the agenda of the International Labour Organization.

Sendika News (Kıvanç Eliaçık)