Mechanical engineers launch petition: We will continue to raise our voices

According to a report by Hasret Gültekin Kozan from Evrensel, mechanical engineers have launched a petition on change.org in response to the failure to announce the 2024 gross minimum wage.

"WE ARE AT THE MERCY OF BOSSES"

Speaking to Evrensel, engineer Caner Okan Avşar stated the following:

"We are facing an economic crisis that is reaching more serious dimensions day by day. The erosion and devaluation of our currency, along with the difficulty of maintaining purchasing power, are pushing us into a dead end every day. The wage deemed appropriate for the heavy responsibilities of the technical work we perform is at a truly ridiculous level. While our colleagues in developed countries, who perform the same work with the same knowledge and authority, work for wages far above ours, today we are at the mercy of employers and bosses."

"WE DO NOT ACCEPT THESE WAGES"

"We must continue our struggle in an organized manner to receive the share of prosperity we deserve. There is an attempt to create a society that is socio-economically resigned to hunger and misery. As mechanical engineers, we do not accept being a group left at the mercy of the capitalist class, nor do we accept wages that leave us without humane living conditions, and we will not bow down to this situation. We will continue to raise our voices until we have the humane living conditions we deserve. In this context, we invite all our citizens to support the petition we have launched."

"WE WANT THE GROSS WAGE TO BE ANNOUNCED AS AT LEAST 45,900 TL"

The petition launched on Change.org included the following statements:

"The 2023 2nd Period SMM (Freelance Mechanical Engineer) minimum wage was announced by the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Board of Directors with the decision dated July 21, 2023, and numbered 3335, as a minimum monthly gross of 23,450 TL. The gross wage determined by the Chamber of Electrical Engineers (EMO) Board of Directors for the same period was 33,750 TL. The fact that the wage announced by our Chamber remained below the EMO's wage was not an acceptable situation and had seriously wounded us mechanical engineers in terms of professional ethics. Similarly, the Chamber of Electrical Engineers (EMO) Board of Directors announced the monthly minimum gross wage for 2024 as 45,900 TL. Aside from the fact that the wage determined by the MMO remained below this figure, the MMO did not announce a minimum wage for 2024 at all. We want the necessary regulation to be made and for the gross wage, which the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers has not announced, to be declared as at least 45,900 TL. Regarding this situation that wounds us, we await the support of all salaried mechanical engineers across Turkey for wages that are livable and in accordance with professional ethics."

News Source: 12punto