Photo: Euronews Turkish
Rabia Çetin
Employees of Culture Radio Television (KRT), a Turkish broadcaster, have been on strike since June 4 over unpaid wages and meal allowances that have not been delivered since March 28. In an unprecedented move in Turkish media history, the workers halted broadcasts without any court or media regulator decision — a first in the country’s press landscape.
The protest began inside KRT’s building in Maslak, a business district on Istanbul’s European side, where staff stopped working and took shifts keeping watch day and night. Journalists and technicians involved in the action said they repeatedly tried to get information from department heads and news coordinators but were given no clear answers or contact person to resolve the issue.
Workers said salaries were repeatedly delayed, and several colleagues resigned as a result. When no payments were made by June 4, employees exercised their legal right to stop working under Turkish labor law.
KRT management reportedly offered workers between TL 5,000 and TL 10,000 (approximately $150–$300) as an “Eid bonus” ahead of the upcoming religious holiday, and promised full salaries by June 20. Workers rejected the offer and demanded that their wages be paid by June 10 — a demand that had not been met as of publication.
“No one from management showed up after we stopped the broadcast”
Umut Nafiz Öztürk, who has worked as an editing chief at KRT for about four years, said similar issues had occurred in the past, but this was the longest payment delay they had experienced. After their meal cards were canceled, they continued working through Ramadan without either food support or pay, he said.
Öztürk said the strike and broadcast stoppage were triggered by growing frustration among staff. When they halted programming on June 4, they were offered cash to resume operations. Staff requested a face-to-face meeting with station owner Fırat Bozfırat, but were told first that he was in Ankara, and later that he would only meet with a group — not individual employees. As the crisis deepened, more staff quit, and the station switched to taped broadcasts.
“We got thanks instead of an apology”
Dilan Tosunoğlu, who has worked as a character generator (KJ) operator at KRT for a year, said no one in management had directly communicated with staff since March 28. She said the problems began with the cancellation of their meal cards and worsened over time. Instead of an apology, workers were told “thank you for continuing to work,” Tosunoğlu said.
She added that the owner did not meet with staff even on the night the protest began, and management instead instructed them to return to taped programming — which she said further demoralized the team. “I constantly feel like we’re being lied to,” she said.
“We’re pursuing our rights within the legal framework”
Journalist Zübeyde Sarı, based in KRT’s Ankara bureau, expressed solidarity with her colleagues in Istanbul. She said wage delays had become chronic and that they had not been able to find any person within the company capable of resolving the issue. Sarı said they were working with their union to pursue legal remedies, and that their core demand was to receive their unpaid wages and return to work.
“Media workers made history”
Turgut Dedeoğlu, chair of the DİSK Press Union (Basın-İş), said the employees were exercising their right under Article 34 of the Turkish Labor Law, which allows workers to refrain from working if they are not paid. He emphasized that this was not a strike or a collective bargaining process, but a legally protected work stoppage. “This deserves to be heard more widely,” he said.
KRT management issues statement: Crisis desk established
On June 5, one day after the strike began, KRT management issued a public apology. The statement read:
“There is no excuse for a two-month-long payment issue. The restructuring process we are undertaking at KRT TV has caused serious short-term cash flow disruptions. However, the foundation of any media institution is its people and their labor.”
According to the statement:
-
An urgent payment plan has been created for back wages and meal stipends;
-
Compensation for those who resigned will be prioritized, and an independent auditing committee will oversee the process;
-
A crisis desk has been formed with participation from worker representatives.
Background on KRT
The channel was originally founded in 2005 under the name “Karadeniz TV” by Zihni and Hasan Basri Cinan. It was sold to Ahmet Kopuz in 2011 and rebranded as KRT TV in 2014. Most recently, it was acquired on November 14, 2023, by Fırat Bozfırat, a former deputy chairman of the Turkey Change Party (TDP).
