The expected agreement could not be reached in the collective labor agreement (TİS) negotiations between the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) and Metro Istanbul workers. Since the offers were far below the workers' expectations, Metro Istanbul workers decided to strike. According to the statement of the Turkish Railway Workers' Union, if the parties cannot reach an agreement, the metros in Istanbul Monday, May 27, 2025 will not make a trip on the day.
This development has brought with it the possibility of a new transportation crisis in the megacity where more than 3 million Istanbulites use rail systems daily. Istanbul Commerce University Transportation Center Director Prof. Mustafa Ilıcalı emphasized that public transportation is of vital importance for Istanbul in his statement on the subject. Ilıcalı drew attention to the potential transportation chaos that the strike will create by saying, “For example, 8 million 353 thousand people used public transportation yesterday. 3 million 607 thousand of them, or 44 percent, used the rail system, or the metro. Now, what will happen to 3 million 600 thousand people when they are not working here? What will they do? They will go to work, go to school, go from home to work, and return from work to home.”
Dispute Process and Strike Decision
In the collective bargaining negotiations that have been going on for a while between the Turkish Railway Workers Union and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality affiliate Metro Istanbul Inc., the parties could not reach an agreement on wages and other working conditions. In response to this situation, the metro workers, in order to defend their rights, April 24 2025 had decided to go on strike.
Following the strike decision, the mediation phase was initiated as required by the legal process. However, no agreement could be reached between the parties during the mediation meetings. Thereupon, the Turkish Railway Workers Union stated that it stands behind the strike decision and May 27 2025 announced to the public that it will stop metro services as of . The statement made by the union stated that "The offer made in the meetings we have held with the employer officials in the recent period fell far below our expectations" and the main reason for the decision to strike was stated.
Possibility of Major Impact on Istanbul Transportation
A possible strike halting of the metro system, which forms the backbone of public transportation in Istanbul, could negatively affect the daily lives of millions of people in the city. Istanbulites who use the metro to get to work, school or other destinations will have to look for alternative transportation methods. This could cause congestion in other public transportation vehicles to increase and traffic congestion to become even more unbearable.
As Prof. Mustafa Ilıcalı also stated, the fact that nearly half of the daily public transportation users prefer the metro system clearly shows how big a transportation crisis the strike can cause. It is eagerly awaited whether there will be a new meeting between the parties in the coming days and whether a compromise can be reached. Otherwise, May 27 could be a serious transportation test for Istanbul.
