Turkish labor union demands 74 pct hike in minimum wage

Türk-İş, representing workers in the 2025 minimum wage negotiations, announced their demand for a new wage of 29,583 liras ($842), demanding a 74 percent increase from the current 17,002 liras ($484).

Thursday December 19 2024 05:41 pm

Duvar English

Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) President Ergün Atalay, who sits at the table with the government on behalf of the workers in the minimum wage negotiations for 2025, has demanded a 74 percent hike in the minimum wage.

Speaking during a press conference after a meeting on the new minimum wage, Atalay said they would not accept a figure below 29,583 liras ($842), marking a 74 percent increase.

“As minimum wage workers, we want a raise with 45 percent inflation plus welfare share. We want it to be 29,583 liras with a 20 percent welfare share. If they give us this, we will sign. Otherwise, we will not,” Atalay said.

The commission on the minimum wage held its third meeting on Dec. 19.

The latest hike was made in January 2024 as the government increased the minimum wage by 49 percent to 17,002 Turkish liras ($484).

There are rumours that the government is planning to increase the wage based on "expected inflation rate" rather the actual one in an attempt to bring down inflation.

The state-run Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) reported annual inflation at 47.09 percent for November, whereas the independent inflation research group ENAG put the figure at 86.76 percent.

The Turkish government increased the minimum wage twice in 2022 and 2023 in July amid the soaring inflation and cost of living crisis as well as as an investment for the 2023 elections. The government refrained from doing so in 2024.

Despite the loss of the ruling AKP in the 2024 local elections for the first time in its 23-year history, Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated the continuation of tight monetary policy which is mostly burdened by the low and middle classes.