The 13th Ordinary General Congress of Türkiye YOL-İŞ Union was held in Ankara on 30-31 October 2026. At the Congress, our General President, Ramazan Ağar, was re-elected, renewing his mandate.
The Congress was attended by Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu; Süleyman Soylu, Chair of the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s (TBMM) Committee on Internal Affairs; TÜRK-İŞ General President Ergün Atalay; TÜRK-İŞ Vice Presidents Nazmi Irgat, Eyüp Alemdar and İrfan Kabaloğlu; TÜHİS Secretary General Dr Mehmet Baş; AFAD Vice President Cengiz Gevrek; Elazığ Provincial Special Administration Secretary General Cemil Yatkın; Rize Provincial Special Administration Secretary General Ümit Hüseyin Sarı; Muş Provincial Special Administration Secretary General Şehmus Yentür; Aziz Aslan, Director General of Personnel at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change; Kamuran Yazıcı, Head of the Inspection Board of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure; Ethem Cankurtaran, former Member of Parliament for Mersin in the 18th Parliament and former YOL-İŞ Union executive; Uğur Kaya, Head of the Support Services Department at the General Directorate of Highways; TÜRK-İŞ Regional Representatives Edip Gülnar, Bahri Zülküf Karakoç, Ruhi Biçer and Hayrettin Çakmak; former TÜRK-İŞ General President Salih Kılıç; Hüseyin Baykal, Mayor of Senirkent (Isparta) and former YOL-İŞ Vice President; İsa Gök, General President of Şeker-İş; Hakan Toy, General President of Sağlık-İş; Hakan Yeşil, General President of Genel Maden-İş; Necip Nalbantoğlu, General President of Dokgemi-İş; İbrahim Ören, General President of Tek Gıda-İş; Zekeriye Nazlım, General President of Çimse-İş; Aydın Parlakkılıç, General President of Selüloz-İş; Bilal Çetintaş, General President of Kristal-İş; Savaş Nigar, General President of Basın-İş; Nurettin Akçul, General President of Türkiye Maden-İş; Mürsel Taşcı, General President of Ağaç-İş; İbrahim Özkeskin, General President of Tarım-İş; Kenan Öztürk, General President of Tümtis; Ömer Çağırıcı, General President of Güvenlik-İş; Cemail Bakındı, General President of Toleyis; Mürsel Öcal, Vice President of Türk Metal Union; Hüseyin Kaya, Secretary General of Demiryol-İş; executives of TÜRK-İŞ affiliated unions, representatives of civil society organisations and delegates.
Representatives of international trade unions and confederations from around the world also attended the Congress and conveyed messages of solidarity.
The Congress Presidium was chaired by Eyüp Alemdar, TÜRK-İŞ Vice President and General President of KOOP-İŞ Union.
In his opening address, General President Ramazan Ağar drew attention to the economic difficulties faced by workers, the rising cost of living and the need for tax justice. Emphasising the importance of resolving the problems of subcontracted workers, safeguarding strong public services and securing workers’ acquired rights, Ağar stated that the legal and trade union struggle against the privatisation of motorways and bridges would continue with determination. He delivered a clear message:
“We will not remain silent while workers’ labour and the people’s assets are being handed over before our very eyes.”
During the Congress, TÜRK-İŞ General President Ergün Atalay, Chair of the TBMM Committee on Internal Affairs Süleyman Soylu, and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu also delivered speeches.
During the afternoon session, presidents and executives representing international trade unions and confederations took the floor and conveyed messages of international trade union solidarity.
Following the elections, the Executive Board of the Türkiye YOL-İŞ Union Headquarters was constituted as follows:
Name
Position
Ramazan AĞAR General President
Gökhan GEDİKLİ Vice President Responsible for the General Secretariat
Yusuf DOĞAN Vice President Responsible for the General Financial Secretariat
Mehmet YOLASIĞMAZOĞLU Vice President Responsible for the General Organisation Secretariat
Bülent YENTÜRK Vice President Responsible for the General Education Secretariat
