Court of Cassation rules on social security service determination

The Turkish Court of Cassation has issued a precedent-setting decision regarding service determination lawsuits for workers whose social security premiums were not fully paid or were never recorded. The 9th Civil Chamber ruled that a worker's period of service cannot be determined solely based on Social Security Institution (SGK) records.

Crucially, the court decided that the fact that a witness is a relative of the plaintiff does not, by itself, invalidate their testimony. In a specific case involving a worker seeking to prove 23 years of continuous service, the court upheld the validity of testimony provided by a sibling, noting that the witness's own history of employment at the same workplace should be considered alongside the available evidence.