Turkey Supreme Court rules against minibus station attendants

The Turkish Supreme Court's 9th Civil Chamber has issued a precedent-setting ruling regarding the employment status of minibus station attendants (kahya/değnekçi), who manage vehicle departure times, passenger queues, and traffic order at stations.

The decision follows a 15-year legal battle initiated by an attendant, identified as T. K., who resigned due to unpaid wages and sought severance pay, overtime, and unused annual leave. While a local Labor Court initially ruled in favor of the worker, granting severance and notice pay, the Regional Court of Justice overturned this, stating that no formal service contract existed between the worker and the station management.

The Supreme Court upheld the decision that the attendants are not employees of the station management. Instead, because their income is derived from individual tips or payments provided by various minibus drivers rather than a single employer, the court determined that the station management cannot be held liable for their employment benefits.