KÜHEYLAN HUKUK
Within the scope of the Law on the Tanzim of Relations between Employees and Employees in Press Profession No. 5953 and the AYM's Resolution on Cancellation dated 2023, the Guideline was prepared based on legislation in force as of 2026 and official sources dated November 2026.
Those who work at newspapers, magazines, news agencies and internet news sites with pay for ideas and art are subject to Press Labor Law No. 5953, not the Labor Code No. 4857. This Act includes more protective rules than general business law, such as written contract obligation, notice and leave periods extended by professional seniority, a hundred percent increase in overtime after midnight, and an annual bonus. The Constitutional Court abrogated the five-year working requirement for severance indemnity by its decision of 4.5.2023, which entered into force on 14.6.2023. The journalist's receivable cases are seen in the business court.
Who Is a Journalist?
1 of Law No. 5953. According to the article, newspaper published in Turkey, internet news sites, periodicals and news and photo agencies are journalists who work for all kinds of ideas and art works. Internet news sites were explicitly added to coverage in 2022 by Law No. 7418. Titles such as reporter, editor, columnist, photojournalist, graphicr, page secretary and video editor are included in the scope; employees who do not have ideas and art qualities such as distribution, accounting or technical maintenance are subject to Labor Law.
Employees in public institutions and more than half of their capital as civil servants in publicly owned companies are excluded from the scope of the Act (m.2). The status of radio and television employees should also be assessed based on the nature of the work and the structure of the organization.
The employment contract between the journalist and the employer is required to be in writing, and the contract shows the type of work, wage, and seniority of the journalist (m.4). When the type of business or fee changes, it is also mandatory that the change be written into contract. The trial period for the first journalist to enter the profession is at most three months (m.10).
The fee is paid in advance each month (m.14). 14 of the Law. The second paragraph of the article, which stipulates five percent overpayment per day for the delayed fee, was cancelled by the Constitutional Court's decision dated 25.12.2019 and numbered E.2019/108, K.2019/101 and the cancellation took effect on 14.2.2020. The Supreme Court 9. The Legal Office also implements this annulment decision in unconfirmed cases. Journalists are entitled to a bonus at the end of each service year in the amount of at least one month's pay; journalists who work for two years are eligible for promotion at the rate set out in the contract.
Indemnity Compensation: What Changed After the Constitutional Court Decision?
6 of the Law. The first paragraph of the article stipulates that he must have worked in the same workplace for at least five years for severance. The Constitutional Court abrogated this paragraph and a sentence on compensation by its decision dated 4.5.2023 and numbered E.2021/62, K.2023/89; the decision came into force on 14.6.2023. There is no requirement for five years of work in employment contracts that expire after this date.
The journalist who is terminated will be paid compensation in the amount of a month's fee based on the last monthly fee for each service year or period; this amount is not calculated in the first contract year. It is discussed in the teaching of which rule to apply in terms of minimum post-revocation seniority time, and in the concrete file the current approach of the Supreme Court must be followed. The seniority is calculated from the date of the journalist's first entry into the profession; however, once he receives severance compensation, the seniority of the journalist begins again from his introduction to his new job. If the employer's financial impossibility is documented by a financial branch decision, compensation can be paid in no more than four installments and within one year.
The termination of a journalist who has worked for at least five consecutive years, depending on the same employer, is valid after three months from the written notice; the notice period for employees less than five years is one month (m.6). The journalist may always terminate the contract with a written notice at least one month in advance (m.7). These deadlines are minimal and may be increased by contract. 18 to 21 on job security of the Labor Code. Articles are applied in comparison; therefore, the journalist who carries out the terms may also file a case for reinstatement.
11th Law. The article recognises a justified termination reason specific to the press profession: if there is an obvious change in the direction and character of the publication that would undermine the journalist's reputation or reputation, the journalist may terminate the contract without waiting for the notice period and be entitled to compensation as if he had been laid off by the employer's fault. In contrast, the journalist's behavior, which knowingly or severely impairs the reputation of the publication, is an immediate cause for termination for the employer.
The daily run time is eight hours in day and night circuits. For every hour of overwork, fifty percent more than the normal hourly fee is paid for extra work after 24 p.m.; overtime cannot exceed three hours per day (Add m.1). After every six days of work, one day is given a two-day week break for continuous night employees (m.19).
A journalist who has worked in the daily broadcast for at least one year is given four weeks per year, and six weeks of paid leave to those with more than ten years of service in the profession; seniority is calculated according to the total service in the profession, not by the same workplace (m.21). The employer who does not allow or pay the permit fee is obliged to pay the total of the fee twice (m.29).
Event Summary Form: Fictional example: An Internet news site editor, which started the profession in 2017, moved to a new site at the beginning of 2023 where he was laid off without notice by the employer in 2026 after working for three years. He has no written contract, he regularly works after midnight. Process: The editor filed a lawsuit in the business court for severance and notice compensation, annual bonuses, overtime and a leave of absence fee after no agreement was reached during the mediation process. The employer argued that there was no written contract and that the five-year requirement had not expired. Conclusion: A written contract obligation is a burden on the employer; the fact that the contract has not been made does not eliminate the rights of the journalist arising from the Law. The contract of employment does not require a five-year stipulation since it expires after the entry into force of the Constitutional Court decision. Since he works less than five years, a one-month notice compensation may be charged based on a double raise for further work after 24 hours and the total severance in the profession.
Do journalists have a ceiling of severance?
Oh, no. The Supreme Court acknowledges that the ceiling of severance is not stipulated in Law No. 5953 and there is no upper limit on account (Judge 22). Legal Office, 18.12.2017, E.2017/43471, K.2017/28825). The portion of the severance payment not exceeding twenty-four months is an exception from the income tax.
Can the resigning journalist get severance?
Not as a rule. However, Law 11. The journalist who terminates the contract may be entitled to compensation for reasons such as changing the publication character in its article or justifiable termination of the Labor Code.
Does an employee without a press card benefit from Law No. 5953?
Yeah. The application of the Law is not dependent on a press card; what is decisive is that the work has an intellectual and artistic nature and is paid for.
Will his family be paid in case of the journalist's death?
Yeah. Spouses and children shall be paid death compensation in the amount of severance, not less than three times the monthly fee (m.18) if they do not have one.
When do they get paid?
147 of the Turkish Code of Obligations in wages and similar periodical receivables. The five-year statute of limitations is applied in its article. The period in which they will receive compensation must also be determined according to the concrete event.
• The calculation of the receivables according to the provisions of the Labor Law and the oversight of the high increases in Law No. 5953. • No collection of old workplace records showing total seniority in the profession. • Not to be checked in detail for receivable pens and amounts when signing the Hebrew. • Not counting all receivable pens individually in the application for mediation. • Failure to document work after midnight with broadcast system records and correspondence.
Law No. 5953 is a special protection regime that grants the journalist broader rights than general business law; however, with the cancellation decisions of the Constitutional Court and coverage of internet news sites, the calculations to receive have become more technical. The fact that the right law and the correct severance period are based directly on it changes the amount of receivable. Küheylan Law Office provides legal support for the preparation of employment contracts of journalists and media outlets, termination processes, and cases of receivables and reinstatements in the labor court.
Important Legal Notice: The legal statements contained in this guide are prepared by the Küheylan Law Office for general informational purposes and do not qualify as legal counsel. The unique circumstances of each business relationship can change the outcome. Legal support from a lawyer is recommended prior to termination, sabbatical and litigation. © 2026 Küheylan Law Office. All Rights Reserved.
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