Turkey apprenticeship insurance reform called for

Political figures in Turkey, including Saadet Party Batman Provincial Chairman Mehmet Fırat and İsmet Buyruk, are calling for reforms regarding social security for individuals who participated in apprenticeship and vocational training programs.

They argue that while these individuals have insurance records from their time working in factories, workshops, and businesses, these periods are not being recognized as the start of their retirement eligibility because they lack long-term insurance coverage. The advocates highlight that these youths contributed to production and faced risks of occupational diseases and accidents during their training.

Proposed solutions include reviewing past apprenticeship records and implementing a debt settlement model that would allow individuals to complete missing long-term insurance premiums. They emphasize that vocational training should not serve as a source of cheap labor and that the social security of current vocational students must also be strengthened to ensure fair labor rights and future stability.