Cevdet Yılmaz makes statement on minimum wage and pension hikes

Vice President Yılmaz made statements regarding the agenda and the economy during an NTV broadcast.

Here are the highlights from Cevdet Yılmaz's statements:

"WE INCREASED THE MINIMUM WAGE BY OVER 100 PERCENT"

We increased the minimum wage by over 100 percent. We made the minimum wage tax-exempt. It has a cost of hundreds of billions to the public. We are providing premium support regarding the minimum wage. We have made significant regulations regarding the minimum wage. An atmosphere has been created as if everyone should pay this wage; we need to break this.

WILL THERE BE A PENSION HIKE IN JULY?

Our number of retirees has exceeded 16 million. It has reached a very significant figure. We have always stood by our retirees. The regulations we made recently, in addition to the statutory increase rates, created an amount of around 300 billion liras.

When the number is high, the impact is also high. Despite a period where we experienced many difficulties, we tried to stand by our retirees.

We are aware of our retirees' difficulties. There will be a new assessment in July. In the coming periods, the difficulties of our retirees will be our priority.

"NO SURPRISES AWAIT US AFTER APRIL 1"

No surprises await us after April 1. On the contrary, we will implement our roadmap in the Medium-Term Program (OVP) step by step. There are those who make speculations after the election.

This is not a general election. In general elections, you can discuss the changing of national policies. There is a possibility of the government changing, there is a possibility of the Parliament changing.

Today we are holding local elections. When you look at it politically, there is no ground for national and macro policies to change. A wrong comparison is being made regarding last May.

WHEN WILL INFLATION REACH SINGLE DIGITS?

We will see significant declines in inflation in the second half of the year. Starting from July 3, we will see a downward trend on an annual basis. In the coming months, we will continue to see a loss of momentum on a monthly basis. We are targeting 15 percent inflation in the OVP for 2025, and single-digit inflation in 2026. We have made all our plans accordingly.

News Source: 12punto