YOL-IS, a BWI affiliate in Turkey, held its congress on 30 and 31 October 2026 in Ankara in the presence of the former Minister of Interior and the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure. Numerous international guests participated in the event, including BWI, as well as trade unions from Romania, Albania, Belgium, France, Bulgaria, Italy, North Macedonia and Sweden. Ramazan Ağar was re-elected as president of the union.

"Today, millions of people in our country cannot make ends meet," Ramazan Agar said in his opening speech. He referred to the high inflation rate, the cost of living and the need for tax justice. He also stressed that legislative amendments must be introduced to enable subcontracted workers to obtain permanent employment status, that a strong public service must be protected and that the acquired rights of public service employees must be guaranteed.

Agar added: "Today we face an issue of the utmost importance, which concerns not only our members but also the future of our country: the privatization of our highways. We will continue to oppose the privatization of these services built with the taxes and public resources of our people and maintained through the work of road workers." »

Ambet Yuson, BWI General Secretary, extended BWI's solidarity in this campaign by stressing the essential role of YOL-IS in defending road workers and protecting their rights. He also recognised the role of YOL-IS President in BWI's international solidarity work, especially in the pan-European region, by bringing trade unions closer together: "You are the link between Eastern Europe and Western Europe, between North and South".

Geneviève Kalina, BWI Regional Representative for Europe, also participated in the event.