Comparing personal rights of employees in Turkey: Civil servants vs laborers

In an attempt to meet their needs, humans have participated in working life as deemed fit by the lifestyle of the society they live in. Although labor was regarded as a shameful activity performed primarily by slaves in societies structured into sharp class divides, it has always been an integral part of individuals from the period of hunter-gatherers characterized by the lack of economic organization to today's capitalist market economy. It was with the Industrial Revolution that a regulated full-fledged employer-employee relation emerged. The industrial period, which led to significant transformations in labor relations, is termed in the literature as the "most changing" and "most transforming" age. In line with the economic, social, and technological developments, the working practices of the industrial period has been replaced by today's non-standard working styles. The labor relations of today has a delicate structure involving the state, employee-employer unions, collective bargaining rights, collective labor disputes, conflicts of interest, peaceful and interventionist methods, and varying forms of employment. Binding international conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations charter and the ILO Conventions have greatly contributed to the democratization of working life. Despite these large-scale developments in working life in favor of employees, there exist issues to be resolved in order for laborers employed in private as well as public sectors to lead an equal, free, and dignified lifestyle. This dissertation critically evaluates the personal rights of laborers and civil servants in Turkey. In doing so, it also addresses the historical development of union rights of laborers and civil servants, the problematic areas of personal rights in need of improvement, the differences between workers and civil servants in terms of personal rights, job security, employment and career, and concludes with suggestions to improve the present working practices, as well as the personal rights and socio-economic conditions of employees. Keywords: Labor and working, laborer, civil servant, career, merit, personal rights, union rights, Turkish Civil Servants Law No. 657, Turkish Labor Code No. 4857