Turkish communist-led municipality offers special holidays to LGBTQ workers, women and disabled people

Turkish communist-led municipality offers special holidays to LGBTQ workers, women and disabled people
A new agreement between the municipality and a public workers' union offers extended leave to a variety of groups.
2 min read
17 March, 2021
The new measures apply to municipal workers in Tunceli, also known as Dersim [Getty]
A communist-led Turkish municipality has decided to grant workers leave on occassions including LGBTQ Pride and International Women's Day.

LGBTQ municipal workers will be granted one day of leave during Pride week, the Tunceli Municipality and the Public Services Employees Union of Turkey agreed this month.

Female workers will be granted two days of leave a year on International Women's Day in March and on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which takes place in November.

Women will also be granted an additional day of menstrual leave or menopause leave every month, left-wing news site Bianet reported.

The new measures in Tunceli, which is also known as Dersim, will also see disabled municipal workers given a day of paid leave on May 10, the first day of the Week of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The radical agreement has also introduced 20 percent raises for workers, as well as additional days of leave offered to employees who are getting married, have been bereaved or have a relative in hospital.

It also extends maternity leave and introduces a short period of paternity leave.

The Dersim municipality is headed by Mayor Fatih Methmet Macoglu of the Turkish Communist Party.

The marginal party has no seats in parliament and Macoglu is its only elected mayor.

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