Calls from workers for an interim minimum wage hike are growing

Due to financial hardship and the rising cost of living, workers and retirees are voicing their demands for a raise in different parts of Turkey, despite the government's firm stance. The Minimum Wage Initiative, which gathered at Şirinevler Square last week, came together this time in Üsküdar to call for an increase in the minimum wage, all wages, and pensions.

In the initiative's press statement in Üsküdar, it was emphasized that the minimum wage should be raised to a level worthy of human dignity, based on the life of the worker and their family. The group, which wants wages to be updated four times a year based on national income and real inflation, demanded economic policies that prioritize fair income distribution. Furthermore, attention was drawn to the financial difficulties faced by millions of workers and retirees trying to live on salaries that remain below the hunger threshold.

The participants announced that they would hold protests every Sunday until their demands for a raise are met and that they would gather in Sancaktepe next week.

'SALARIES THAT WERE SUPPOSEDLY RAISED' HAVE RAPIDLY ERODED

The following statements stood out in the announcement made by the Minimum Wage Initiative:

"As the Minimum Wage Initiative, we have come together to intervene in this downward spiral at a time when our labor is increasingly devalued and the minimum wage has ceased to be an exception, becoming the average wage for millions of workers. As we all know, the minimum wage they claimed to have 'raised' as we entered 2026 became worthless, falling below inflation before it even reached our hands. The gap between the hunger threshold and the minimum wage is widening every month. Today, the minimum wage is not enough to even feed us, let alone cover a family's basic needs and provide a livelihood."

The statement further underlined that the minimum wage determined in December is not a solution for workers whose kitchen pots remain empty. Representatives of the initiative stated that they would continue to voice their demands for a raise in the squares.

The statement, which pointed out that economic conditions would worsen following the Central Bank's recent increase of its 2026 inflation target from 16 percent to 24 percent, noted that "single-digit inflation" has been postponed once again. It was also mentioned that the minimum wage has lost 4 thousand 110 liras in value against inflation over four months, the lowest pension has lost approximately 3 thousand liras in value, and the 11 percent raise given to civil servants has remained ineffective since the beginning of the year.

The statement criticized the government's "no interim hike" approach, noting that annual salary raises based on unrealistic inflation targets make life even more difficult for low-income citizens. It was stated that while small bonuses were given to retirees before the holiday, no permanent solution was provided for those experiencing basic financial hardship.

DEMANDS LISTED ONCE AGAIN

At the end of the statement, the components of the Minimum Wage Initiative reiterated three main demands: raising the minimum wage to a level worthy of human dignity, increasing all wages and salaries four times a year based on real inflation and national income, and implementing economic policies that prioritize income justice as soon as possible.

While emphasizing that the struggle for a raise in the minimum wage and, accordingly, all salaries is a common social goal, the initiative invited all workers and retirees to act together.

The statement concluded with these words: "As minimum wage earners, workers, retirees, and all the ignored segments of this country; we will change this course that equates us in hunger and poverty together."

News Source: 12punto