Nearly two million Turkish workers lost jobs during pandemic, CHP labor expert says

More than 350,000 businesses shut down during the pandemic in Turkey, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) labor expert Veli Ağbaba said. As a result, some two million workers and their families were left to fend for themselves amid the spread of COVID-19.

Tuesday November 24 2020 02:42 pm

Duvar English

Some 383,000 businesses were closed in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic, abandoning around two million workers and their families to fend for themselves, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Labor Coordinator Veli Ağbaba said.

While 252,690 of these businesses closed on the owner's prerogative, the remainder were shut down with the Nov. 17 presidential decree that bumped precautions, Ağbaba's report revealed, daily Birgün reported on Nov. 24.

"The government only loaned 25,000 liras to business owners during this time, and made no financial aid," Ağbaba said, adding that European countries like Germany and Spain handed out thousands of dollars' worth of support.

The labor expert suggested that the government implement income protection plans for small and medium business owners, ranging from a monthly 2,500 liras to 3,500 liras in proportion to their loss of revenue.

Ağbaba also suggested the expansion of requirements for wage subsidiaries, as well as an increase in the quantity of said payments.