CHP Leader Özel announces his party's minimum wage preparation: Support formula

In his speech at the mass opening and groundbreaking ceremony held on Atatürk Boulevard in Cumhuriyet Neighborhood, Özel said that Bilecik Municipality is a municipality where social democrats have emerged from the ballot box 9 times.

Stating that they are multiplying and spreading good examples and that they have opened a city restaurant in Bilecik, Özel continued his words as follows:

"The first of the city restaurants was opened by Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu in Istanbul, but we are expanding good services. Today, this is the 72nd city restaurant opened in Turkey. It is a place where 4 courses of hot meals will be provided for 70 liras, where the poor can come and eat for free through the 'suspended meal' practice we are rapidly spreading, where you can 'suspend' meals so that they can receive them, and also, for example, our elders—may they live long—can have our city restaurants at your service for condolence meals or when we want to feed a poor person out of our own hearts upon their passing, anniversaries, or when a wish of ours is fulfilled. For example, when someone who wants to give a charity meal to 250 people distributes that meal somewhere in front of their own house, friends, relatives, and neighbors eat it—may God accept it—but those people's stomachs are already full in one way or another. Instead of distributing charity meals to people who have purchasing power, there is no solidarity as important or merit as valuable as coming to these city restaurants and saying, 'Distribute free meals to 250 poor people on my behalf.' I invite all of Bilecik to do this."

Touching upon the importance of the condolence house they are about to open, Özel said, "Cities are growing. They are receiving migration from outside. New settlers coming from outside were looking for a condolence house culture in Bilecik with the culture of the places they came from; this need was identified and committed to during the election. Now, I thank Melek Mızrak Subaşı, who is offering this to the service of all Bilecik residents and will open this beautiful service here, her team, our municipal council group who contributed to these beautiful investments, and the municipal council members of other parties."

Özgür Özel recounted the work carried out by Bilecik Mayor Subaşı during her 8-month tenure.

"IN THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY, THE NATION LOVES ITS STATE"

Referring to Sheikh Edebali's words, "Keep the people alive so that the state may live," Özel continued:

"These days, we are facing a mindset that says, 'The interests of the state are in this direction. There is a state reason. The state requires this,' and portrays the state as a mechanism that acts alone. In the Republic of Turkey, the nation loves its state. It goes to the military when called. It becomes a martyr if necessary. It pays its taxes, but the nation knows that the essential thing is the nation. Nations establish states. States cannot create nations. That is why, just as Sheikh Edebali said, 'Keep the people alive so that the state may live.' We attach great importance to valuing the mind of this nation, considering its wisdom, seeing the conscience of this nation, and listening to its voice, especially against those who sanctify the state today, who portray the state as a living being, and who say, 'It has its own mind, you wouldn't know.'"

Özel stated that before 2003, 7 quarter gold coins could be purchased with the minimum wage, whereas today, only 3 quarter gold coins can be purchased with the minimum wage.

Explaining that the price of a simit in Bilecik rose from 8 liras to 12 liras at the beginning of the year, and a glass of tea from 5 liras to 10 liras, Özel assessed, "A minimum wage earner in Bilecik was buying 1300 tea-simit sets with that minimum wage this year; it has now dropped to 770. Almost half of 1300. The purchasing power of money has halved in Bilecik based on the tea-simit calculation."

Reminding that they proposed increasing the minimum wage to 30 thousand liras, Özel said, "Furthermore, while proposing this, a 30 thousand lira minimum wage also causes a large increase in the state's social security premiums. We have to return a portion of this increase to small tradespeople. Because a barber who employs one person, or a pharmacist who employs two, or a tradesman restaurant that employs three waiters, one dishwasher, and one cook does not have the strength to pay a 30 thousand lira minimum wage.

Because the minimum wage is low for the recipient and very high for the provider.

CHP has made its preparations for this. We have submitted our legislative proposal. We propose providing 6 thousand liras in social security premium support per minimum wage employee to those employing between 1 and 10 minimum wage workers."

News Source: AA