Figure given for the lowest pension, will there be an interim raise for the minimum wage?
Civil servant and retiree salaries will be clarified with the 6-month inflation data to be announced in July. While raising the lowest pension to 17 thousand TL is on the agenda, the possibility of an interim raise for the minimum wage is seen as a weak probability.
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With the approach of July, millions of retirees and civil servants have turned their eyes to the inflation data to be announced. The 6-month inflation rate, which will be shared with the public on July 3, will clarify the rate of the raise that retirees will receive. The expectation of an increase in the minimum wage is evaluated as a limited option.
HOW MUCH WILL THE LOWEST PENSION BE?
In the first five months of 2025, inflation stood at 15.09 percent. With the addition of June data to the picture, this rate is expected to reach the 17 to 18 percent level. According to this scenario, a raise at the same rate for SSK and Bağ-Kur retirees may come to the agenda. It is projected that the lowest pension, which is currently 14 thousand 469 TL, will rise to the 17 thousand TL band with this increase.
However, for retirees whose base salary remains below 12 thousand 367 TL, no raise will be received if there is no increase in the lowest pension amount. In the current situation, approximately 4 million retirees receive the lowest pension at the level of 14 thousand 469 TL.
According to the pro-government Türkiye Gazetesi, this issue was brought to the agenda at the last meeting of the Economic Coordination Board. It is stated that the decision regarding a possible increase in the lowest pension will be clarified at the board's next session. According to information obtained from AKP lobbies, a legislative proposal on this matter is planned to be submitted to the TBMM after July 3. While the Parliament is expected to go on recess after July 17, the regulation is aimed to be enacted before this date and reflected in the July salaries.
On the other hand, whether there will be an interim raise for the minimum wage, which is currently 22 thousand 104 TL, will also be determined in the coming days. AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had stated in a previous statement, “If there is a very serious deviation in the inflation rate, of course, we will not remain indifferent to this and will make the necessary evaluations.”
However, the expectation in the lobbies and within the economic management that there will be an additional raise for the minimum wage in July is quite low.