TURKISH MILITARY UNION Report: 1
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TURKISH MILITARY UNION Report: 1 WHAT SERGEANTS & NCO WANT 1. SALARY IMPROVEMENTS. 2. ADJUSTMENTS 3. RECOUPMENT 4. LODGING SITUATION 5. OYAK (Turkish Armed Forces Assistance and Pension Fund) 6. TURKISH ARMED FORCES DISCIPLINARY LAW 7. RESTORING THE LATENCY TIME FOR RANK 8. DECREASING THE DURATION TIME OF COMPULSORY SERVICE. 9. MOBBING 10. OFFICER’S CLUBS AND SERVICES 11. TURKISH ARMED FORCES FOUNDATIONS 12. REGISTRY REMISSION 13. PERSONNEL REGIME 14. FOREIGN MISSION AND COURSES (TRAINING?) 15. OTHER ISSUES 16. RESULTS AND SUGGESTIONS 1 TURKISH MILITARY UNION 1. SALARY IMPROVEMENTS : 1.1 The draft bill on the payments of officers, sergeants, specialist gendarmes, specialized sergeants, petty officers and privates assigned under the Law no 5422 for the Law for Provincial Administration and Law no 7269 In Regards to the Aid with the precautions to be taken due to effectual disasters for public life to be 1/10 (63 TL) of the gross amount of the highest goverment employee salary was sent to MOD on April, 10, 2012 (Written statement of the The General Staff). 1.2 Currently, no compensation is paid to the personnel who is not provided lodging. Draft suggesting an increase of 400 Tl to the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) personnel who is not provided lodging was sent to MSB on June 18, 2008.However, it did not pass into law during the 23rd legislative year. Thereupon, the article of the The General Staff including the matter of continuing the activities to renew and enact the mentioned law draft in the 24th legislative year was sent to MOD on April 6, 2012 (Written statement of the The General Staff). 1.3 The proposal of a %20 increase in the salaries of majors whose income level is patially lower and the low rank officers, sergeants, specialist gendarme and specialized sergeants was sent to MSB on August 24, 2011 and November 18, 2011. The proposal for an increase in the TSK Service Compensation to provide a %20 increase in the salaries of lower rank officer, sergeant, sepcialist gendarme and specialized sergeant was sent to MOD on May 15, 2012. (Written statement of The General Staff). 1.4 (9) The proposal regarding overtime payments to the TAF personnel was sent to MOD on May 28, 2012 (Written statement of the The General Staff). 1.5 The proposal regarding the use of one dashboard that arranges personal benefits according to the TSK personnel’s education level wassent to Ministry of Defense on January 23, 2012. (Written statement of the The General Staff). 1.6 The guard duty compensation should be paid for the guard duties performed according to the 24 hour principle. How is it right to provide maximum “Per Diem Allowance” to the people who go on to do daily tasks or inspections with the state vehicle or helicopter based on their ranks while saying that it is their job to the personnel who stand guard for 24 hours and another 12 hour shift on top? All personnel who stand guard should be paid in the rate of at least one “per diem allowance” per guard duty. If this is implementted, the unnecessary extra guard duties would be cancelled, types of guard duties and the number of guard duties would lessen. However, no positive response was received from the governnment regarding any of the proposals mentioned above. The General Staff 2 TURKISH MILITARY UNION responds to the questions in regards to the follw up on the proposals by saying “the process is continued”. 1.8 A sergeant retiring without falling to the 1st level receives a montly salary of 1300 TL (starvation wage). How much does a colonel equal to sergeant major receive? Around 4000 TL. The difference is 2700 TL. Here is an example for you. The difference between the salaries of a police commissioner graduated from the 4 year Police Academy and a police officer graduated from a 1 year police academy is only 300 TL. Today the monthly salary of a sergeant retiring without falling to the 1. Level is 1300 TL close to the starvation wage (1.010 TL). Sergeants who retire without falling to the 1st level receives 1.780 TL which is below the starvation wage (3.197 TL). 1.9 The difference betwwen the salaries of a sergeant major and a colonel is around $300. In Turkey, aforementioned salary difference is twice as much. A lieutenant colonel’s salary is $4350 and a sergeant major’s salary is around $4130 in the US Army. 1.10 Although officers have one salary scale, sergeants have 4 salary scales. Salary scales for sergeants should be rearranged as one salary scale. According to the law passed in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on May 22, 2012, sergeants who completed two or multiple year higher education, like other officers, can be risen up to the 4th rank of 1st level. However, as no change has been made in the scale, this improvement had no financial contribution at all except for an increase of 4,7 TL in salaries. 2. ADJUSTMENTS 2.1 Proposal for adjustments of 2nd level retired sergeants to 1st level was sent to MOD on May 28, 2012 (Written statemenf of the The General Staff). 2.2 Draft bill prepared to adjust the retierement salary of 2nd and 3rd level retired personnel up to 1st level retired personnel was sent to the Prime Ministry on September 9, 2011. (Written statemenf of the The General Staff). 2.3 Proposal for adjustments of entry level and ranks of officers, sergeants, specialized gendarme and specialized sergeant according to their education level and ensuring the the graduates from 4 year faculty and higher education to start from 8/1, graduates from 2 year faculty and higher education 9/2 and graduates from high school and equivalents to start from 10/1 was sent to MOD on January 23, 2012. (Written statemenf of the The General Staff). 3 TURKISH MILITARY UNION 2.4 With the change made on the law no 4752 Sergeant Vocational School of Higher Education Law, starting from 2005 the education level of active sergeants was increased to two year vocational school of higher education from high school level. Although adjustments for sergeants retired from 2-3 level should be made as they graduated from vocational school of higher education, these adjustmenst are not being done for sergeans as it’s done for officers. However, none of the proposals received a positive response from the government until today. When the The General Staff is asked about the follow up on the proposals, the response received is “still in process.” 3. COMPENSATION 3.1 Executive Compensation (Paid to lieutenant colonel and high rank officers)(*) It’s being paid since 1982. Turkish Armed Forces Law No 211, Internal Service Act, Clause 11 – Military Authority: Position represented by each commandant in the Turkish Armed Forces. Commandant: Person who has the power of command by authority and employment. This means that every “Commandant” is qualified to receive the executive compensation. So, do any officers who don’t have authority qualify for this compensation? Yes. Meaning that lieutenant and above officers without authority receive this compensation. Likewise, do sergeants in the authority position benefit from this compensation? No, sergeants in duties such as station Command, District Gendarmerie Command, Maintenance and Repair Command, Accounting, Lodging Branch Management, Personnel Branch Office Management, Chief Mechanic Engineering, Team Commendership, Section Chief Administratorship and specialized sergeants in similar tasks are not qualified for this compensation as they are not considered as authorities. The interestiing point here is that officers below the rank of lieutenant colonel (major and below) cannot benefit from this compensation. Officers ranked major and below cannot benefit from the compensation if they are authority and commanders. Despite the report of the Supreme Court stating that the compensation payment to the active lieutenant colonel although he is not in ¼ is injudicial, administration pays lieutenant colonels the executive compensation while saying “there is no budget” when it comes to pay the executive compensation to sergeants despite the law. 4 TURKISH MILITARY UNION Sergeants are not demanding the executive compensation to be the same rate as officers. They want it to be paid according to the ranks. In the end, everybody who takes responsibility has an authority in TAF. 3.2 Representation Compensation (paid to lieutenant colonels and superiors) This compensation is being paid to lieutenant colonels and superiors since 2000. It’s promulgated in the Official Gazette number 23962 on Feb 2, 2000 and it’s paid to the personnel qualified for Executive Compensation over index of at least 7.000. Here, again, unfortunately some sergeants are disregarded. Because sergeants do not represent TAF and generally they are told “be careful, you are representing TAF” regarding the issues such as the dress code, disciplinary superior- subordinate relationship and officer’s club. But when it comes to compensation, the approach they receive is “You are representing Directorate General for Highways and Genral Directorate of State Hydraulic Works.” Monthly expense authorization is given to the lieutenant and superiors who receive this compensation, under “RECEPTION EXPENSES” due to the “Cafeteria Regulations.” The statement in the cafeteria regulations reads: “Based on the unit’s level, whether it’s Garrison Command or not, and the features of station and establishment, they can make expenditures for representation and entertainment according to the amounts determined and issued in January every year. The expenditures that can be done on representation and entertainment are listed below. More expenditures can be made with permission in advance. Treats and stationary supplies to be used in the office at the head of department level can be purchased.” The representation expenditure given from the cafeteria for 2013 is around 200TL.