Turkey bank promotion disparity affects private sector workers

A legal gap in Turkish labor and obligation laws has created a disparity in how bank salary promotions are distributed between public and private sector employees. While public servants and retirees regularly receive these payments, many private sector workers are excluded from the benefits.

SGK Chief Inspector and columnist İsa Karakaş notes that because the Labor Law and the Code of Obligations lack specific provisions regarding bank promotions, employers hold significant discretionary power. In unionized workplaces, promotions can be secured through Collective Bargaining Agreements (TİS), but in non-unionized environments, the decision rests entirely with the employer.

Karakaş argues that since the commercial value generated by salary movements belongs to the employee, the resulting promotional income should also be theirs. Although various legislative proposals have been submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to mandate the transfer of these funds to workers, they have not yet been enacted into law.