Employment Contracts and Employer Obligations in Türkiye: Key Updates for 2025
Türkiye implemented significant labor law reforms in 2025 that directly affect employers, particularly small businesses and international investors. These changes involve mandatory occupational health and safety (OHS) measures, updated collective bargaining agreements, and reforms in the public personnel regime. Understanding these requirements is crucial for international entrepreneurs aiming to establish or manage operations in Türkiye.
New Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Requirements for Small Businesses
As of January 1, 2025, a pivotal regulatory change requires workplaces in the low-hazard category with fewer than 50 employees to appoint occupational safety specialists and workplace physicians. Previously, these requirements primarily applied to high-risk or large-scale enterprises. The expansion reflects Türkiye’s increasing emphasis on preventive health and safety measures across all business types.
Small businesses can meet this obligation by contracting services through Joint Health and Safety Units (OSGB). These third-party providers offer a cost-effective and flexible solution for employers.
Key Employer Responsibilities Under Turkish Labor Law
General OHS Responsibilities
Employers in Türkiye must maintain and improve workplace safety and health conditions. Their obligations include:
- preventing occupational risks
- providing employees with adequate training and information regarding hazards
- creating a risk management and response structure
- supplying appropriate tools and equipment
- updating safety measures to reflect changes in conditions
- ensuring continual improvement of health and safety standards
Mandatory Risk Assessments
One of the most critical responsibilities is performing or commissioning a risk assessment. In high-risk industries, failure to conduct proper assessments can lead to government-ordered work stoppages. Risk assessment is a foundational component of OHS compliance in Türkiye.
Employee Training Obligations
Employers must facilitate basic occupational health and safety training shortly after hiring any new employee. Workers who complete the course should receive official training certificates. These sessions must be updated periodically in line with technological and regulatory changes.
Collective Bargaining Agreement Provisions for 2025–2027
Türkiye’s new collective labor agreements for the 2025–2027 period outline specific aid and payment amounts that employers are required to honor under unionized conditions:
Social Benefits and Daily Allowances
- Meal allowance: For workplaces where meals cannot be provided on-site, workers must be paid gross 240 TRY per working day as of January 1, 2025
- Ramadan assistance: A one-time gross 3,000 TRY payment in the first year of the agreement
Support for Special Events
- Marriage assistance: Union members are entitled to a net 6,186 TRY payment upon marriage, effective from March 1, 2025
- Birth assistance: A net 3,965 TRY payment is granted when the employee or their spouse gives birth
- Death compensation: In the event of work-related death, the employee’s legal heirs receive a net 59,482 TRY payment
Reforms to the Public Personnel Regime
On May 21, 2025, Law No. 7548 introduced major changes to Türkiye’s public employment model. These reforms are especially relevant to international businesses operating in sectors with both private and public engagement.
Flexible Staffing Models
The new law authorizes government institutions to hire employees under flexible contracts. These positions may include specialists and assistant specialists hired under employment law, administrative service contracts, or other schemes. Recruitment, compensation, and dismissal procedures will be determined internally by each institution via regulations.
Protection of Employee Rights
Personnel reassigned between institutions will retain their original salary-grade benefits, including base pay, bonuses, seniority compensation, and other financial rights. If the new role results in lower total pay, a differential compensation package must be provided to cover the shortfall.
Important Considerations for International Entrepreneurs
These 2025 reforms affect business planning, particularly for foreign investors establishing operations in Türkiye. Entrepreneurs should prepare for:
- Increased compliance costs: Small businesses must now budget for occupational health and safety staff, even if they operate in low-risk environments
- Non-transferrable OHS expenses: Employers cannot legally pass the cost of health and safety services onto employees, which must be factored into financial planning