Turkish gov't to pass legislation to remove severance pay for workers under 25, over 50

The ruling AKP government is preparing to submit a bill to parliament which proposes to lift severance pay rights for workers younger than 25 and older than 50 years of age. The legislation, which comes as part of what the government calls an 'employment shield' package, would affect 3.5 million workers who belong to the age groups in question.

Duvar English 

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government is to submit a bill to parliament that would lift severance pay rights for workers younger than 25 and older than 50. 

Union expert Alpaslan Savaş examined the proposed legislation draft in a series of Tweets, explaining how it would worsen conditions for laborers. 

“Severance pay will be lifted, it will cause a loss in income, bosses will pay lower insurance premiums, and it will become difficult to unionize,” wrote Savaş. 

The legislation, which comes as part of what the government calls an 'employment shield' package, would affect 3.5 million workers who belong to the age groups in question. Employers would no longer require employers to pay social security premiums for those working less than ten days in a month. One in four workers would no longer be eligible to receive severance payments from their bosses in the event that they are laid off from their jobs. 

“This isn't just the elimination of severance and notice pay, it also means being able to put laborers to work without paying their insurance premiums,” Savaş wrote.