Local teachers are going to strike because foreign teachers were given high salaries

Due to the salary gap between local and Italian teachers working at the Italian Lyceum in Istanbul, local teachers went on strike. This was reported by Bianet.org.

Despite performing the same work and having the same workload, Turkish teachers say they earn six times less than their Italian counterparts.

The report states that teachers at a private Italian lyceum in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district have started a strike today. Together with the Tez-Koop-İş trade union, teachers gathered in front of the school building under heavy rain.

Teachers say that there is a sharp difference in salary, status, and working conditions with their Italian colleagues working at the school. They argued that the demand for "the same work - the same pay" was not met, and the negotiations, which lasted for several months, ended ineffectively.

Speaking on behalf of teachers, Selahattin Karakurt, head of the Istanbul 5th branch of the Tez-Koop-İş trade union, read out a statement from local teachers. He emphasized that the strike was not solely related to the salary issue.

"Today we came here not only to demand our material rights, but also to restore our trampled professional honor. In the face of the indifference of the school administration, we have nothing more to say. Now this is not enough - let the strike say the last word," said Selahattin Karakurt.

According to him, the union has been at the negotiating table for almost two months, but the school administration has not taken a single step to continue negotiations since December 10. Emphasizing that the administration has closed all communication channels, Karakurt reminded that striking is a constitutional and legal right.

According to Karakurt, local teachers earn up to six times less than their Italian counterparts, despite performing the same teaching load and academic responsibilities.

He also said that over the past four years, tuition fees have increased by approximately 300% in euros, while teachers' salaries have increased by only 30%. He emphasized that this situation has neither moral nor spiritual basis.

According to Karakurt, the administration advised local teachers not to increase salaries by 0% in 2025, 15% in 2026, and 20% in 2027.

"We are not asking for charity. We are demanding our rights. "The principle of 'the same work - the same remuneration' should be implemented immediately, based on salary criteria in similar foreign schools," Karakurt emphasized.

He called on the school administration to return to the negotiating table with a fair and sustainable solution, taking into account the honor of teachers, parents, and teachers, and we will not leave this gate until we win. We are in favor of a solution, but we will not back down a single step from our legal and fair struggle.

Karakurt also called on the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take responsibility and protect the professional honor of teachers.

Turkish language and literature teacher Başak Baysallı said in an interview with Bianet that the strike was a very difficult decision for teachers.

He said that about 20 of the nearly 50 teachers at the school are Turkish citizens and expressed confidence that the process is deliberately being delayed.

"They object to everything. They are deliberately delaying the process. I see this as a method of pressure and exhaustion. The prevailing mood at school is this: "If you don't like it, leave," says the teacher.

With 22 years of teaching experience, Baysallı stated that violations of labor rights in private schools were not new, but that establishing a trade union required great courage.

He says that it is very difficult to organize in this profession. Fear is difficult to overcome. It's hard to trust each other. But they succeeded, and this is the first strike in many years in private schools.

According to the teacher, the most difficult aspect of the strike was the separation of students. When the teachers left the school, the students saw them off with applause.

"None of us wanted to leave our students. It was very difficult. The corridors were filled with students. They saw us off with applause. We all shed tears. "This was one of the most touching moments in my life," says the teacher.

Recall that earlier, Alberta (a province in southwestern Canada) wanted to strike because teachers' salaries were not increased.