The honest answer to this question is that Law No. 5953 does not regulate a limitation period. There is no provision on limitation in the official text of the Law.
What the Law Does Say: The Competent Court
The Law's only provision on this subject is procedural. Under Additional Article 4, legal disputes arising from any claim of right under this Law and its supplements and amendments are heard by the labour courts under the Labour Courts Act.
So the statute says where the dispute is heard; it does not say within what time it must be brought.
Which Claims Are in Issue?
| Claim | Basis |
|---|---|
| Unpaid wages | Art. 14 |
| Annual bonus | Art. 14 |
| Overtime pay | Add. Art. 1 |
| Pay for annual leave not granted | Arts. 21, 29 |
| Severance pay | Art. 6 |
| Payment in lieu of notice | Arts. 5, 6 |
| Death benefit | Art. 18 |
| Military service and pregnancy pay | Art. 16 |
| Pay during detention and suspension of publication | Art. 17 |
| Pay for work outside the contract | Art. 15 |
The limitation period may not be the same for each of these; wage claims and compensation claims may be subject to different regimes.
Why We Do Not State a Fixed Period
When Does Time Start to Run?
This too is not stated in the Law and varies with the type of claim. In practice the decisive dates — all of which should be documented — are:
- The date the wage should have been paid — monthly in advance under Article 14
- The date overtime pay should have been paid — with the following wage payment under Additional Article 1
- The period in which annual leave should have been granted
- The date the bonus should have been paid — at the end of each year of service
- The date the employment contract ended
Keep the Evidence
Independently of any limitation argument, the documents that prove the claim itself are decisive:
- The written employment contract — required by Article 4
- Payslips and bank records — Article 14 requires the wage to be paid into a bank
- Overtime records — start and end times, with hours past midnight kept separately
- Leave records — which dates, how many days
- Contract and termination notifications made under Article 9
Bottom Line
Law No. 5953 does not provide a limitation period; the period is determined under the general rules and may vary with the type of claim. The Law's only provision on the subject is Additional Article 4: disputes are heard by the labour courts. Confirm the applicable period with your lawyer.