Türkiye 2025 Labour Law Update Wage Increases and Stricter Employer Rules Explained

In 2025, Turkey implemented important labour law reforms under Labour Law No. 4857 that expanded worker protections and made a real impact on employers. These changes include increased minimum wage and severance pay and increased administration as a result of noncompliance.

Updating Wages and Severance Pay

Minimum Wage – The gross monthly minimum wage increased from 20,002.50 TRY (2024) to 26,005.50 TRY on January 1, 2025.

For those who work in underground coal and lignite mines, this amount needs to be at least doubled.

Severance Pay Cap – Between January 1 and June 30, 2025, the severance pay cap was increased from 41,828.42 TRY to 46,655.43 TRY.

Updated Administrative Penalties

To reflect the 2025 revision rate, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security updated the penalties for infractions of Labour Law No. 4857. Key sanctions include

Article	Obligation	Violation	Fine (TRY)
3/1	Workplace declaration	Failure to notify workplace	2,322 per worker
3/2	Subcontracting	Collusive subcontracting	241,043
5	Equal treatment	Discrimination	2,017 per worker
7	Temporary employment	Illegal temp employment	3,375 per worker
7/2(f)	Private agency temp work	Unjustified temporary agency work	13,500
8	Employment agreement	Failure to document contract	2,017 per worker
14	Remote/on-call work	Violation of provisions	2,017 per worker
28	Employment certificate	Failure or false certificate	2,017 per worker
29	Collective dismissal	Improper dismissal	7,924 per worker
30	Employing disabled/ex-convicts	Non-compliance	30,081/month/person
32	Wage payment	Unpaid/underpaid wages	2,179 per worker/month
32	Bank transfer of wages	Not using bank account	2,179 per worker/month
37	Wage statement	Failure to issue	7,924
38	Wage deduction	Unlawful deduction/no reason	7,924
39	Minimum wage	Not paying minimum wage	2,179 per worker/month
41	Overtime	Unpaid overtime, lack of consent	3,837 per worker
52	Tip documentation	No tip report to rep	7,924
56–60	Annual leave violations	Illegal leave practices, no pay or documentation	3,837 per worker
63	Working time	Not complying with hours regulation	21,213
64	Compensatory work	Procedural violation	3,837 per worker
68	Rest breaks	Not allowing rest breaks	21,213
69	Night work	Overworking at night/not rotating shifts	21,213
71	Child labour	Employing underage workers	21,213
72	Underground/underwater work	Violation of work restrictions	21,213
73	Night work for youth	Employing children/young people at night	21,213
74	Maternity rights	No leave or unpaid leave for new mothers	21,213
75	Personnel file	Failure to maintain files	21,213
76	Regulations on working hours	Violation of rules	21,213
92/2	Labour inspector cooperation	Obstructing investigations	192,838
96/1	Employer misconduct	Forcing employees to lie, abuse for testifying	192,838
107/2	Supervision obstruction	Preventing finalisation of inspection	192,838

Penalties range from 2,017 TRY to more than 190,000 TRY for employers who neglect to fulfil their responsibilities, such as properly paying wages, organising personnel files or issuing employment certificates.

Transparency, equity and accountability in the Turkish labour market are the goals of these legislative changes. To avoid serious fines, employers are strongly encouraged to review their compliance with Labour Law No. 4857.