On 17 July, journalists and media workers at the AFP bureau in Istanbul ended their 12-day strike by securing a 27% wage increase. The industrial action was fully backed by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The IFJ celebrates this union win and praises the determination of its affiliate, the Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS), and the striking journalists, whose demands were largely met by AFP management.
“The key words are unity, solidarity and patience. It’s important to set aside differences and stand united, both when deciding to go on strike and during the strike itself,” TGS General Secretary Banu Tuna told the IFJ. “In both the 2023 and 2026 AFP strikes we have participated in, freelance workers also supported the strike despite the fragility of their income models.”
Following the inconclusive outcome of the statutory negotiation with AFP management, TGS officially announced, on 15 June, that journalists and media workers would be striking for fair wages as of 6 July.
Twelve days later, the union secured a one-year contract to be effective from 1 March 2026, including a 27% wage increase, a bonus equivalent to one month’s salary and a one-off payment of €2,500. In addition, media professionals working from home will receive 3,500 Turkish Lira (TL, around €65) in utility bill support and 3,000 TL (around €55) will be paid for travel expenses.
At TGS’s request, on 14 July the IFJ sent a letter to the management of AFP in Paris, fully supporting the legitimate and fair demands of the striking journalists and urging the management to meet the workers demand.
Support for this industrial action came from within Türkiye and beyond. Striking AFP journalists received a visit from representatives of the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş), as well as from sectoral unions representing office workers (Tez-Koop), tourism industry workers (Toleyis) and Umut-Sen, a collective aiming to strengthen the labour movement, among others. Several fellow journalists and representatives of political parties also backed the action. At the global level, the IFJ, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), UNI Global Union as well as their affiliates, including the French unions, SNJ, CGT and CFDT, and the NUJ in the UK and Ireland, and others, expressed their solidarity.
TGS General Secretary Banu Tuna noted: “Under Turkish law, strikes continue until the employer and the workers/union reach an agreement. This means that the duration of a strike is uncertain. Patience is key […] This fight was not just about pay rises; for journalists, it was a matter of dignity. Now that the strike has been successful, journalists feel that the company has seen, heard and understood them. That’s why we are all truly happy.”
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “The victory of the AFP journalists and the TGS union in Türkiye is a great example of global and cross-sectoral solidarity, and of justice overall. Journalists deserve decent working conditions; otherwise, we cannot expect them to produce quality journalism in the public interest. We warmly congratulate our TGS comrades and AFP journalists in Istanbul. Supporting our members is at the heart of what the IFJ does.”
Source: IFJ
