Ministry meeting for gradual retirement: EMADDER presents proposal, experts offer differing explanations

EMADDER has submitted its proposal for gradual retirement for those who entered the insurance system after 1999 to the Ministry; experts have provided varying assessments.

12punto 25 August 2026

The topic of gradual retirement, awaited by employees who could not benefit from the Retirement Age Trapped (EYT) regulation and who entered the insurance system after September 8, 1999, is back on the agenda. The Association for Justice in Retirement (EMADDER) has submitted its prepared model and demands to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

Retirement and salary regulations are among the topics closely followed by millions of employees.

EMADDER President Mihriban Uğurlu and the association's management held a meeting with Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security Ahmet Aydın. During the meeting, the association's claims regarding the grievances experienced by those insured after September 8, 1999, and its proposals for a gradual transition model were conveyed.

The EMADDER management met with Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security Ahmet Aydın.

EMADDER'S DEMAND SUBMITTED TO THE MINISTRY

In her statement regarding the meeting, Uğurlu mentioned that she asked whether the issue was known to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and that Deputy Minister Aydın stated that the President was aware of the matter. Uğurlu used the expression, "This issue is now before our President."

The justifications for gradual retirement and proposed solutions were discussed during the meeting.

According to the model advocated by the association, it is envisioned that retirement conditions will be increased gradually depending on the year of entry into the workforce. Accordingly, for female employees with insurance registration between September 9, 1999, and 2000, an age requirement of 43 and 6 thousand 400 premium days is proposed, while for male employees, an age requirement of 45 and 6 thousand 400 premium days is suggested.

The proposed model advocates for increasing the age and premium day requirements based on the date of entry into the workforce.

The draft suggests increasing the age requirement by one year and the premium days by 75 days for each subsequent year. Within this framework, examples are given for 2001 insurance entry as 44 years of age for women, 46 for men, and 6 thousand 475 premium days; for 2004 entry, 47 years of age for women, 49 for men, and 6 thousand 700 premium days. For those who entered the system in 2008, an age requirement of 51 for women, 53 for men, and 7 thousand premium days is proposed.

Premium day and age requirements stand out in the gradual retirement debate.

Social Security Institution (SGK) expert Ersin Bayav pointed to the year 2027 for employees with expectations. According to Bayav, a possible preparation could be structured around a gradual transition model, and hundreds of thousands of citizens who entered the workforce between 1999 and 2008 could be included in the system in stages.

It is stated that a possible regulation could concern those who entered the insurance system between 1999 and 2008.

Journalist Faruk Erdem, on the other hand, made a different assessment regarding gradual retirement in response to a question asked during a live broadcast. Arguing that there is currently no work on this topic, Erdem said, "There is no work on gradual retirement... No, it is not on the agenda. Some people are getting clicks. Do not do this because there is no such legal regulation. I am saying this repeatedly."

Journalist Faruk Erdem stated that there is currently no legal regulation for gradual retirement.

Thus, while the demands of associations and the expectations of some experts continue regarding the topic of gradual retirement, there is no clear statement regarding an official regulatory calendar. The issue continues to be closely monitored, especially by employees who remain outside the scope of the EYT.