Labour and Solidarity Day in Türkiye

Legal status and pay

Law No. 2429 names 1 May as Emek ve Dayanışma Günü, or Labour and Solidarity Day, and includes it among general holidays. The law orders government offices to close on these holidays, while allowing exceptions for institutions whose duties must continue.[1]

The holiday does not mean every employee must have the day off. For workplaces covered by the Labor Law, work on a public holiday is governed by collective or individual employment agreements; if those agreements do not address it, the employee’s consent is required. Employees who do not work receive their normal day’s pay, and those who work receive an additional day’s pay under the law.[2]

A history shaped by labor organizing

May Day has international labor roots, but its Turkish history gives the holiday particular resonance. A history published by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security records May Day celebrations in İzmir in 1905 and İstanbul in 1910, and describes large gatherings in İstanbul’s Taksim Square from the 1970s.[3]

The ministry records that 34 people died during the 1977 Taksim gathering. In 2008, the government designated 1 May as Labour and Solidarity Day; a 2009 amendment to the national holiday law made it an official holiday. The ministry says broad public celebrations resumed from 2010.[3]

How people observe the day

Union and worker gatherings are a documented feature of May Day in Türkiye. The ministry describes the day as one of laborers’ unity, solidarity and struggle, and records the return of widespread celebrations.[3]

Closures and practical plans

Government offices are closed under the holiday law, apart from institutions with duties that must continue. In covered workplaces, whether employees work depends on their employment agreements or consent, and holiday pay rules apply.[1][2]

Visitors should check local notices and service schedules before making plans.