The Application Deadline For The Short-term Working Allowance Has Been Extended Until 31 December 2020

The application period for the short-term working allowance has been extended until 31 December 2020. Employers have the right to apply for the new period of governmental wage support, intended to reduce the economic damage of Covid-19, from 1 December 2020.

What is short term working?

Recent changes made in unemployment security law no: 4447, gave employers the right to apply for short-term working conditions wage support from the government to fight the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

What were the conditions previously?

The Presidential Decree dated 27 October 2020 extended the period granted for the short-term working allowance until 31 December 2020.  However, this was only applicable for employers who had already applied for the short-term work allowance previously available until 30 June 2020.  See more reference to short-term working, unpaid leave and the termination ban in our previous article What Do the New Turkish Presidential Decrees Say About Employment Agreements During the Pandemic?

What has changed with the new Presidential Decree numbered 3238 dated 30 November 2020?

Employers who had not previously applied can now apply before 31 December 2020 to benefit from the short-term working wage support for a three-month period starting as of 1 December 2020 according to the Unemployment Security Law.

Employers can apply for the short-term working allowance in cases where their weekly working hours are temporarily reduced by at least one-third or if their workplace stops its operations completely or partially for at least four weeks, regardless of whether this stoppage is continuous or not. To apply for this allowance, employers should register through the e-devlet (electronic government portal) system.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.