Voting in Parliament, protests in the streets: Workers reject the budget

Labour Service

The Parliament has reached the end of its budget session. Actions continue for the 2026 budget, which will be voted on for the last time in the General Assembly today. In Ankara, Trabzon and Bursa, those who earn their living through labour took to the streets against the unfair budget.

Hundreds of citizens gathered yesterday on Maraş Street in Trabzon at the call of the Trabzon Labour and Democracy Platform, raising their voices with demands for a fair and labour-friendly budget. Walking along the street, citizens voiced their demands with slogans such as ‘Poverty is not destiny’ and ‘Budget for workers, not capital’.

The press statement made here was read by Muhammet İkinci, spokesperson for the Trabzon Labour and Democracy Platform. İkinci pointed out that the budget was a document reflecting the political preferences of the one-man regime, saying, "Turkey has the 17th largest economy in the world. Today, 108 countries in the world provide their children with one hot meal at school. This is a clear picture of the kind of regime we are facing. It is a regime that considers one hot meal a day for its children too much."

’In our country, the prevailing view is that “the state should be run like a corporation”. In corporate management, social benefit is not considered; profit is the main focus. Citizens are seen as customers. There is no incompetent government or inept management. There is a government that acts in a highly planned, programmed and systematic manner. They favour capital in their choices,‘ the statement continued: ’As the people, as workers, we ask how much of the budget will be allocated to the fundamental problems we face. Without batting an eyelid, they say that of every 100 TL we collect from you in taxes, only 4 TL will go towards combating poverty, 3 TL towards employment, 3 TL towards agriculture, and exactly 2 TL 80 kuruş towards law and justice. We will allocate 62 kuruş to research and development and 6 kuruş to women's empowerment. We do not accept this budget. We call on the members of parliament! Listen to the voice rising from this field, the voice of the people. In keeping with the historical identity of Parliament, say ‘no’ to this anti-people budget. The meaning of these budget figures is this: Let the country become a source of cheap labour and raw materials for global capital. Let our children be lost in MESEMs. Let us not travel. Let us not read books. Let us not go to the theatre. Let us count every penny spent on a cup of tea and a simit. Let us live half-starved, half-fed. Let us give up hope for our country, surrender, and remain silent as our country's resources are sold off and plundered. We will never give up. The government must resign, and elections must be held."

VETO FROM THE BALLOT BOX

Another budget protest was held yesterday in Ankara by KESK. KESK members, saying ‘Workers do not accept this budget,’ came to the Dikmen Gate of the Parliament to make a statement. As a result of police obstruction, ballot boxes were set up in front of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance during the protest. Public workers cast ballots marked ‘No approval,’ ‘No public workers,’ and ‘No democracy’ in the representative budget vote. In a press statement read by KESK Co-Chair Ayfer Koçak, the following was stated: "Those who govern the country are offering more poverty, unemployment and misery with this budget. We do not accept this budget, which aims to transfer the resources we produce and the taxes we pay to capital, bosses, the five-member gangs, and palaces, placing the entire burden on us. We demand a budget that is in favour of the people, labour, equality, and justice!"

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Meclis’te oylama, sokakta itiraz var: Emekçi bütçeyi kabul etmiyor, published in BirGün newspaper on December 21, 2025.