Bill on Economic Measures Against Coronavirus Passed into Law

The bill on economic measures against coronavirus outbreak has passed the General Assembly of the Parliament and has become a law. Accordingly, employers have been granted the right to give workers unpaid leave.

İstanbul

Bill on Economic Measures Against Coronavirus Passed into Law

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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The Bill on Reducing the Effects of the Outbreak on Economic and Social Life and Foreseeing Amendments to Some Laws was approved by the General Assembly of the Parliament yesterday (April 15).

Drafted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) MPs and passed into law following the Parliament's approval, the law has postponed annual instalment payments to the Directorate General of State Hydraulic Works, in addition to the municipality payments postponed for 3 months.

Unpaid leave in the law

With this law, dismissals will be banned for a period of three months; however, employers can now make workers take an unpaid leave without making them any payments themselves. Instead, the workers given an unpaid leave by the employer will be paid 39 lira 24 kurush (~ $5.70) per day from the unemployment insurance fund. In other words, a worker made to take unpaid leave will be paid 1,170 lira (~ $170) per month.

While the law also covers the ones who were dismissed after March 15 and cannot get unemployment payment, the amount to be paid to the worker will be set off from the unemployment pay to be used in the future.

Right to unionization restricted

While the article foreseeing restrictions on the right to go on a strike was omitted from the bill, the right to unionization has been suspended by postponing the grant of union authorization assessments.

Accordingly, instead of suspending the processes as to the collective labor agreements, the resolution of labor dispute-disagreement and strike, the law foresees a three-month extension of the periods relating to "the grant of authorization assessments, collective labor agreements, the resolution of labor dispute-disagreement as well as strike and lockout."

That being the case, along with the intention of preventing workers' losses of rights as to collective labor agreement and strike, their right to unionization has been halted for at least three months.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), the law has also introduced the following measures in the face of Covid-19 outbreak:

The country has postponed rental payments for three months on several types of state-owned immovable properties.
Municipalities and their sub-institutions will also be able to postpone water bills for three months for private homes and companies.
Municipalities will also be able to provide financial support to natural and legal persons who have public transport certificates or postpone several types of payments to provide uninterrupted public transport services.
Annual advertisement and environment taxes of enterprises that have been forced to close as part of measures to contain the coronavirus will not be collected during this period.
Payments on student loans are also postponed for three months, while those on some agricultural loans postponed until next year.
Travel agencies will not pay fees to their unions in 2020.
Some licenses, permissions and general assemblies have been extended for licensed warehouses, commercial ships, associations, cooperatives and unions.
The country has also cancelled some local administrative elections.
Research and development and design support has been expanded.
If necessary, the treasury can support medical colleges and their subsidiaries.
Non-payment of services by the elderly and disabled at care centers has been extended for three months. Their general health insurance payments will also be covered by the state.
Dividend payments of companies with share capital have been limited.
Some operations of Turkey's Wealth Fund have been postponed.
Companies are prohibited from inflating prices of goods. Actions which prevent products from reaching consumers have also been prohibited.
The country will form a supervisory committee to prevent price gouging and stockpiling. Turkey will fine these companies between 10,000 to 500,000 Turkish liras ($1,445 to $72,290).
All postponed loans will be collected after a three-month period in installments and without interest. Periodic postponements and support can be extended.

(TP/SD)

Origin

BIA News Desk

Bill on Economic Measures Against Coronavirus Passed into Law

İstanbul

İstanbul

Unpaid leave in the law

Right to unionization restricted

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