Confederation of Civil Servants Trade Union of Turkey

Türkiye Kamu-Sen (officially Türkiye Kamu Çalışanları Sendikaları Konfederasyonu, the Confederation of Civil Servants Trade Union of Turkey) is a Turkish and Northern Cypriot trade union confederation representing public-sector employees. It was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Ankara. The confederation groups a set of sectoral member unions covering education, health, administration, local government, religious affairs, agriculture and forestry, information, energy, construction, transport, culture and arts, retirees, and Northern Cypriot civil servants. Kamu-Sen is the second-largest public-sector trade union confederation in Turkey after Memur-Sen. In 2014 the confederation claimed 450,000 members on its website, while the official count by the Ministry of Labour recorded 447,641 members, out of roughly 2.37 million civil servants in Turkey at the time. The confederation has been led since February 2014 by İsmail Koncuk and Önder Kahveci; Önder Kahveci appears on the official website as General President (Genel Başkan). Politically, Kamu-Sen is reputed to be close to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Its public activity focuses on defending the purchasing power of civil servants and pensioners, collective bargaining, and social and economic campaigns. The official website highlights meetings with public officials such as the Ombudsman and the Minister of Labour, agreements with universities and commercial partners for member benefits, and statements on inflation, salaries, and the Turkey-EU Joint Consultative Committee. As a confederation, Kamu-Sen is not a conventional commercial brand but a membership-based labour organization; it operates as a trademarked institutional identity with a strong public presence in Turkish industrial relations.

Türkiye Kamu-Sen was founded in 1992 as a confederation of civil servants' trade unions in Turkey. It emerged in a period when public-sector unionism in Turkey was expanding, and it positioned itself as an alternative to other confederations, notably Memur-Sen. The confederation is headquartered in Ankara and organizes public employees across a wide range of sectors through its member unions. By the 2010s, Kamu-Sen had become the second-largest public-sector trade union confederation in Turkey. In 2014, the confederation claimed 450,000 members on its website, while the Ministry of Labour's official count recorded 447,641 members, out of approximately 2.37 million civil servants in the country. In February 2014, İsmail Koncuk and Önder Kahveci took over the leadership of the confederation. Önder Kahveci continues to serve as General President, as shown on the official website. Throughout its history, Kamu-Sen has been known for its close ties to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which has shaped its political positioning within Turkish industrial relations. The confederation has focused on collective bargaining, defending the purchasing power of civil servants and pensioners, and building partnerships that offer benefits to its members. In the 2020s, the confederation's public activity includes meetings with state officials such as the Ombudsman and the Minister of Labour, agreements with universities and commercial entities for member services, and statements on economic policy, including inflation and the Turkey-EU Joint Consultative Committee. Its member unions span education, health, administration, local government, religious affairs, agriculture and forestry, information, energy, construction, transport, culture and arts, retirees, and Northern Cypriot civil servants.

• 2014

  İsmail Koncuk and Önder Kahveci take over leadership in February

• 2014

  Confederation claims 450,000 members; official count records 447,641

• 1992

  Confederation founded

Second-largest public-sector trade union confederation in Turkey, politically close to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

• Türk Eğitim-Sen

• Türk Sağlık-Sen

• Türk Büro-Sen

• Türk Yerel Hizmet-Sen

• Türk Diyanet Vakıf-Sen

• Türk Tarım Orman-Sen

• Türk Haber-Sen

• Türk Enerji-Sen

• Türk İmar-Sen

• Türk Ulaşım-Sen

• Türk Kültür Sanat-Sen

• Türk Emekli-Sen

• Kıbrıs Türk Memur-Sen

1. 1Türkiye KAMU-SEN official websitekamusen.org.tr
2. 2Wikidata entry for Confederation of Civil Servants Trade Union of Turkeywikidata.org
3. 3French Wikipedia article on Confédération des syndicats des travailleurs du service public de Turquiefr.wikipedia.org