Veterinarians' "Wear and Tear" Pay Demand Taken to Court
· Google Haberler
The Hürriyetçi Tarım Orman Union has filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry over the exclusion of public veterinarians from the scope of actual service allowance.
"Wear and Tear" Pay Demand Taken to Court
The actual service period allowance, widely known as "wear and tear" pay, long demanded by veterinarians, has been brought before the judicial authorities. The Hürriyetçi Tarım Orman Union has filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry after its official request for public veterinarians working in the field to benefit from the actual service allowance was rejected. The union's management argued that it is contrary to law and equity that veterinarians are deprived of "wear and tear" rights despite performing their duties daily with severe risks in the fields of animal health and food safety.
Emphasis on Health Services Class and Status
One of the most fundamental legal grounds for the lawsuit filed is the legal status of veterinarians within the scope of Law No. 657 on State Civil Servants. The Hürriyetçi Tarım Orman Union pointed out that veterinarians are explicitly defined within the Health Services and Auxiliary Health Services Class in Article 36 of Law No. 657. The union stated that veterinary medicine is not limited solely to animal health; it encompasses critical duties that directly impact human life, such as preventing zoonotic diseases, ensuring the supply of safe animal-derived food, and protecting public health.
"One Health" Approach and Risks
The lawsuit petition highlighted the internationally recognized "One Health" vision, emphasizing that animal, human, and environmental health are an inseparable whole. The lawsuit petition prepared by the Hürriyetçi Tarım Orman Union included the following statements:
"The protection of human health begins not only in hospitals but at the very first point of outbreak, in animal populations, in the food production chain, and in the environment."
It was noted that veterinarians work continuously under infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, rabies, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and avian influenza, in challenging field conditions, during slaughterhouse inspections, and under animal attacks and biological risks.
Loss of Rights in Legislation and Laws
In its statements, the union reacted to the fact that the gains achieved during the period of the former Law No. 5434 became practically inapplicable after Law No. 5510 on Social Security and General Health Insurance. The lawsuit petition argued that Article 40 of Law No. 5510, which regulates the actual service period allowance, should also cover veterinarians. Attention was drawn to the fact that health screenings, vaccination efforts, chemical exposures, and emergency field interventions at night involve similar, if not more severe, risks compared to other healthcare personnel.
Legal Struggle and Principle of Equality
The union emphasized that the lawsuit filed is not merely a financial demand, pointing to the principles of equality and social state of law enshrined in the Constitution. Muzaffer Genç, the Chairman of the Hürriyetçi Tarım Orman Union, stated that they will follow the legal process to the end and made the following assessment:
"Veterinarians provide health services. They protect human health in the field. Now we are fighting for this reality to be recognized before the law."
With the initiation of the lawsuit process, the demand for actual service period allowance for veterinarians has been left to the decision of the administrative judiciary.