Cevdet Yılmaz: A negotiation is being conducted between the public sector, private sector, and employee representatives

Following the budget discussions in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) General Assembly, a question-and-answer session was held.

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz addressed the question from deputies asking, "Do other countries have supplementary budgets?" by stating that supplementary budgets are not unique to Turkey.

Noting that the recent volatility in global markets and the COVID-19 pandemic have necessitated supplementary budgets in certain countries, Yılmaz stated, "In 2023, supplementary budgets were implemented in many countries such as the USA, Finland, Norway, Croatia, Belgium, and Poland. It is not a phenomenon unique to us."

Vice President Yılmaz stated that the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes were also a factor in the arrangement of the supplementary budget this year.

Cevdet Yılmaz noted that during the AKP governments, real increases and developments well above inflation have been made in the salaries and wages of employees and retirees.

Emphasizing that pensions were increased by a cumulative 62.5 percent, with 30 percent in January and 25 percent in July, Yılmaz said, "In 2023, an improvement was also made to the lowest pension; the lowest pension, which was 3,500 liras, was increased to 5,500 liras effective from January 2023. With a second regulation in April, a second increase was made, raising it to 7,500. Thus, the cumulative increase in the lowest pension for this year was 114 percent. The lowest pension, which was 377 liras in 2002, was raised to 9,876 liras as of July 2023. The real increase here is 71 percent."

"Will not be crushed by inflation"

Stating that the lowest SSK pension was raised to 7,617 liras as of July 2023, Yılmaz said the real increase was 93 percent. Reminding that the lowest agricultural Bağ-Kur pension was 66 liras in 2002, Yılmaz stated that it is 7,500 liras today, and the real increase is at the level of 642 percent. Yılmaz added the following:

"The lowest tradesman Bağ-Kur pension, which was 149 liras in 2002, is 7,500 liras today; the real increase has been 228 percent. The pension for those over 65, which was only 24 liras in 2002, has risen to 2,348 liras as of July 2023. The real increase is at the level of 524 percent.

On the other hand, in January 2024, the pensions of civil servant retirees will be around 50 percent when both the inflation difference and the payments to be received due to the collective bargaining agreement, just like for civil servants, are included. For our other retirees, it will be carried out within the legal framework with an understanding that will not let our employees and retirees be crushed by inflation."

"Come and see for yourself by experiencing it"

Responding to criticisms that the Presidential budget is excessive, Yılmaz said that approximately 63 percent of the goods and services procurement expenses in the Presidential budget are distributed to relevant ministries and institutions as peace-supporting expenses.

Reacting to the deputies' use of the term "Palace" for the Presidential Complex (Külliye), Yılmaz said, "Either you do not know what a palace means, or because you have never seen it, a different perception has formed in your mind regarding the Külliye. Come one day, let us host you, and see for yourself by experiencing it whether it is a palace or a service area."

Yılmaz stated that in a democratic state of law, as a President and his team elected by the votes of the people, they serve in a place of service to the public, emphasizing that the Külliye is the nation's space.

Reminding that there were questions regarding the number of universities and students, Yılmaz noted that the number of universities has risen to 209. Providing information on dormitory capacity, Yılmaz shared, "We have a dormitory capacity that has reached 955 thousand. Hopefully, we will exceed 1 million. In Spain, there are only 91 thousand dormitory beds. 113 thousand in the Netherlands, 290 thousand in Germany, 365 thousand in France, 550 thousand in England... These figures show where we stand regarding dormitories."

Minimum wage

Responding to questions about the minimum wage, Yılmaz recalled that a cumulative increase of 107.3 percent was provided for the minimum wage, with 54.7 percent in January 2023 and 34 percent in July. Yılmaz continued as follows:

"The net minimum wage, which was 184 liras in 2002, has risen to 11,402 liras as of July 2023; the real increase is at the level of 303 percent. Work regarding the determination of the minimum wage for 2024 is ongoing. The social dialogue mechanism is functioning here. There is the public side, the private sector, and the employee side. A negotiation is being conducted among these three.

It would not be correct for us to pronounce any figure before seeing the result of these negotiations. Our understanding is clear; we have never let our employees be crushed by inflation. We have always prioritized the welfare of our employees. We will act with all the means at our disposal. However, there is a balance here. On one hand, there are the welfare demands of our employees; on the other hand, there is the competitiveness of our businesses, employment, and the issue of not shifting to the informal economy. A balance must be struck between these two."

"It is not used for purposes other than its intended use"

Stating that the question "How much improvement have public employees seen?" was directed by deputies, Yılmaz stated that with the 2023 public collective bargaining framework agreement protocol, the monthly gross wages of public workers whose gross wages were below 15 thousand liras were increased to 15 thousand liras. Yılmaz replied, "In addition to this improvement, an increase of 45 percent for the first period of 2023 and 15 percent for the second period was made."

Cevdet Yılmaz, upon the deputies' question, "Is the legal limit being exceeded in the discretionary fund?", said the following:

"The amount spent in 2022 constitutes 1 per thousand of the initial general budget appropriation. That is, it is quite far from the 5 percent rate. The amount spent as of December 2023 is 6 per ten thousand of the initial general budget appropriation, which is well below the legal limit. Of course, it is not used for purposes other than its intended use. It is used within the legal framework as a result of the national security and high interests of the state, and various purposes required by the state."

Emphasizing that Kurdish is included among the Quran translations in 35 different languages and dialects and religious activities in 50 languages and dialects carried out by the Presidency of Religious Affairs to enlighten the public on religious matters, Yılmaz said, "We have no problem with Kurdish. We have a quest for the unity and solidarity of this country, a country where there is no terrorism and where not a single citizen's nose bleeds."

On the other hand, Democrat Party İzmir Deputy Mehmet Salih Uzun, who took the floor on his own behalf regarding the budget, argued that the Parliament's budget-making authority has been pruned. Stating that the budget has been discussed in Parliament for two months, including the TBMM Planning and Budget Committee, Uzun said, "Not a single word has changed, it could not be changed. We could not change the place of a dot or a comma. We have been acting as a notary for two months."

After he finished his speech, the 2024 budgets of the Presidency and affiliated institutions were accepted in the General Assembly.

Following the approval, the articles of the 2024 Central Government Budget Law Proposal were discussed.

News Source: 12punto