The Turkish Journalists Union (TGS) has been in talks with AFP for three months, but the company is refusing to meet the union's pay demands. According to TGS, while the official inflation rate is 19%, the costs of many basic products have increased much more. The company has only offered to increase salaries by 11%.

The TGS said: “We favour solving this issue through dialogue at the negotiation table for a collective agreement. However, no one should expect us to sign a contract whose terms violate the rights of our members, leaving them crushed under the high costs of living. Today we hang this decision to strike here. If the employer cannot come to the table with a reasonable offer that satisfies our demands, we will not hesitate to strike in the coming days”.

IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, underlined that “the TGS is merely defending its members in asking for an acceptable living wage. The IFJ stands in solidarity with the TGS and AFP workers while calling on the AFP board to match its salary increase offer to address the rising local inflation rates.”