Termination of employment

Termination of employment under Turkish law is the ending of the employment relationship by a unilateral declaration of either party. For open-ended contracts the rule is termination with notice periods scaled by seniority; in circumstances listed by statute, either party may instead terminate immediately for just cause.

The type of termination directly determines the employee's entitlements. Termination with notice may trigger severance pay and, where notice is not observed, notice pay; for employees covered by job security the employer must additionally show valid grounds. The notice must be in writing and state the reason clearly.

The employer is bound by the stated reason and cannot substitute it later. Dismissing for conduct or performance without first taking the employee's defence is a typical procedural error that can invalidate the dismissal.