Labour Law & HR Compliance

Topluyıldız Legal Co.’s Labour Law & HR Compliance practice delivers full-spectrum advisory and litigation services to employers across all dimensions of individual and collective employment relations. In individual labour law, we advise on the drafting and negotiation of employment contracts, the lawful management of termination processes — including just cause (haklı fesih) and valid reason (geçerli neden) dismissals — and the defence of reinstatement proceedings before the labour courts. Our team handles severance pay (kıdem tazminatı) and notice pay (ihbar tazminatı) calculations, overtime disputes, and annual leave entitlement claims with precision and commercial pragmatism. We also draft and negotiate non-compete clauses, confidentiality agreements, and garden leave arrangements that protect our clients’ legitimate business interests while remaining enforceable under Turkish law.

Collective Labour Relations & Regulatory Compliance

In the collective labour law sphere, we provide strategic advisory on trade union relations, collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations, competence (yetki) proceedings, and the management of strike and lockout processes. Our practice extends to occupational health and safety (OHS) compliance, where we assist employers in meeting their obligations under Law No. 6331 and its implementing regulations. For international workforce mobility, we manage work permit and residence permit applications, advise on international assignments, and structure cross-border employment arrangements for expatriate personnel.

HR Compliance & Workplace Governance

A distinctive strength of our practice is our dedicated HR Compliance offering, designed for companies that recognise the critical importance of embedding legal certainty into everyday human resources operations. We work in close partnership with HR departments to deliver:

• Employee handbook and workplace policy drafting — comprehensive internal regulations, codes of conduct, and workplace rules aligned with current legislation and Supreme Court (Yargıtay) precedent
• Disciplinary procedures — legally defensible disciplinary frameworks, warning letter templates, and lawful termination checklists
• Payroll compliance and wage disputes — advisory on minimum wage obligations, wage payment documentation, and equal pay compliance
• Employee data protection — KVKK-compliant employee monitoring policies, personnel file management, and consent frameworks for HR data processing
• Workplace investigations — independent investigation protocols for harassment, discrimination, and misconduct allegations
• Employment audits and compliance gap analysis — systematic reviews of employment practices, documentation, and policies to identify and remediate legal vulnerabilities
• Training programmes — tailored legal training for HR teams on topics including lawful termination, disciplinary management, and data protection obligations
• Restructuring and mass layoff procedures — advisory on collective dismissal obligations, social plan negotiations, and workforce reorganisation under Turkish labour legislation

Our team proactively monitors rapidly evolving employment legislation and Yargıtay case law, enabling us to anticipate regulatory changes and advise our clients before risks materialise. By integrating legal compliance into the fabric of HR operations, we help our clients build resilient, legally sound workplace environments that support long-term business performance.