Lowest civil servant salary becomes 22,000 liras in Turkey after release of official inflation rate

Duvar English

The government on July 5 submitted a bill to parliament to raise the lowest civil servant salary to 22,017 Turkish Liras ($843 on July 5) after government-run TÜİK had announced the six-month inflation rate as 19.77 percent in June. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group chair Abdullah Güler announced that the civil servants receive a 17.55 percent increase plus 8,077 Turkish Liras per month.

Güler stated that the average civil servant salary would be increased to 25,015 liras and reminded that the average salary was 14,417 liras before the rise. 

According to the collective labor agreement signed between the government and the unions at the beginning of the year, civil servants would receive a six percent raise and a raise based on inflation for the second half of the year. Thus, civil servants and civil servant retirees would receive a 17.55 percent raise.

Güler stated that the proposal does not include a decision regarding the rise of pensioners and their situation will be reevaluated with the inflation figures as well. 

Those who benefit from the pension fund for the self-employed (BAĞ-KUR) and other pension funds from the Social Security Institution (SGK) also receive an increase based on the inflation rate every six months. Thus, the pensioner would receive a 19.77 percent raise plus a welfare share that the government would determine later. 

Turkey has increased the minimum wage by 34 percent for the second half of 2023, from 8,506 liras to 11,402 liras ($437 on July 5). 

The labor unions have been criticizing Turkish government for using the TÜİK to announce manipulated inflation rates in order to avert enacting higher raises.