Erdoğan to adjust minimum wage! Here are the scenarios on the table

While efforts to determine the minimum wage are accelerating, millions of employees are waiting with curiosity for this year's increase. The Minimum Wage Determination Commission held its first meeting this year in a structure without TÜRK-İŞ, and the second meeting will be held on December 18. As the countdown continues, all eyes are on the decision President Erdoğan will make.

Economist Muhammed Bayram, evaluating the developments in the Minimum Wage Determination Commission during a television program, stated that TÜRK-İŞ's decision not to attend the meetings was a significant choice.

Reminding that a similar situation occurred last year, Bayram said, "If TÜRK-İŞ had not walked away from the table, the minimum wage would have been 25,000 TL, not 22,104 TL." Bayram emphasized that this situation has become politicized and that the meeting should be held between the workers and the employers.

MINIMUM WAGE FIGURES ON THE TABLE

Bayram explained the current situation with figures. Stating that the year-end inflation difference is expected to be between 31-32%, Bayram reminded that TÜRK-İŞ's hunger threshold is 29,282 TL and the current minimum wage is 22,104 TL.

Bayram emphasized that the employer's total cost is at the level of 30,621 TL.

Referring to the speech President Erdoğan recently made at the TİSK general assembly, Bayram said, "The state has suffered a major tax loss by not collecting taxes from the minimum wage. The worker side is not attending the meeting to pass the buck to the state. The employer will determine the actual figure, but the state will take measures to ensure the worker is not crushed."

The raise scenarios on the table range between 25% and 35%. Bayram said, "I think it will most likely be 28%," and proposed this rate because the estimated increase rate for insurance revenues in the 2026 budget negotiations is 28%.

IS A 30,000 TL MINIMUM WAGE POSSIBLE?

Bayram also made an important assessment regarding whether the minimum wage will reach the 30,000 TL level. Bayram said, "Whatever the proportional increase is, the most important thing is the protection of purchasing power. If purchasing power cannot be protected, these figures have no meaning. Our President can complete the minimum wage to 30,000 TL with a single touch."

Bayram also evaluated the progress made in the fight against inflation and stated that the current increases are insufficient to protect purchasing power. In this context, emphasizing that an interim raise should be made, Bayram used the expressions, "Inflation is currently around 31%. A 30% raise was made at the beginning of the year, but this increase has eroded."

Bayram predicted that the commission's process would not be prolonged and that the decision would be made after the 3rd meeting. Saying, "The commission negotiations will not remain for a 4th meeting, they will end at the 3rd meeting," Bayram shared his expectation that the process would be concluded quickly.

Here are the possible minimum wages calculated according to different raise rates:

20% raise: 26,524 TL

25% raise: 27,630 TL

30% raise: 28,735 TL

35% raise: 29,840 TL

40% raise: 30,945 TL