'Government Resign' chants in AKP stronghold: Protest rally against minimum wage

In Trabzon, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received 65 percent of the vote in the 2023 general elections, a march was organized by the Trabzon Labor and Democracy Platform to protest the set minimum wage of 22,104 TL.

Citizens gathered on Trabzon's Kahramanmaraş Street expressed their reactions with slogans such as "Government resign," "Erdoğan resign," and "The day will come, the tide will turn, and the AKP will be held accountable to the people."

MINIMUM WAGE HAS BECOME A STARVATION WAGE

Making a statement on behalf of the platform, Muhammet İkinci stated that the set minimum wage has become more of a "survival tool" than a living standard for millions of citizens. İkinci said, "The 30% raise rate is a theft of bread from the worker's table in the face of the 47% virtual inflation announced by TUIK. The political power has once again chosen to side with the bosses."

ECONOMIC CRISIS IS DESTROYING SOCIETY

Pointing out that the economic crisis and rising poverty in the country threaten social peace, Muhammet İkinci stated, "The knife has cut to the bone; this order is unsustainable. The government must resign, and the will of the people must be consulted."

Reminding that 1,708 workers have lost their lives in work-related accidents in the last 11 months, İkinci emphasized that workers' rights to live humanely have been taken away and that they are being forced to work while facing death.

TURKEY HAS BECOME A COUNTRY OF MINIMUM WAGE EARNERS

Stating that the minimum wage has now become the base wage, İkinci said that the raise rates affect all employees and that the factors fueling inflation are the profit greed of companies. Calling for solidarity in society, İkinci said, "We must unite against this slavery order imposed on labor."

The protest ended with the message, "Either we will all stand up together, or we will all lose together."