Retirees find holiday bonus insufficient: 'It doesn't even cover two kilos of tea'

In the Kadirli district of Osmaniye, retirees expressed that the 4,000 lira holiday bonus is insufficient. One retiree said, 'We will give the 4,000 lira to the children and grandchildren as pocket money. What else are we going to do? 4,000 lira won't even buy a sacrificial animal.'

Before the Ramadan Feast, a 4,000 lira bonus began to be deposited into the accounts of retired citizens. However, many retirees living in the Kadirli district of Osmaniye stated that this amount is insufficient to meet their daily needs and to traditionally give pocket money to their children and grandchildren.

Regarding the holiday bonus received, one retiree said, 'We will give the 4,000 lira to the children and grandchildren as pocket money. What else are we going to do? 4,000 lira won't even buy a sacrificial animal. In the first years they gave the bonus, we could buy one with 1,000 lira, now it's impossible. We can only buy 4 kilos of meat now.'

Another retiree drew attention to the rise in living costs, saying, 'You buy a kilo of onions, a kilo of cucumbers, a kilo of potatoes and go home. What else are you going to do? What kind of sacrificial animal will you buy for 20,000 lira? I have a son in prison, should I send it to him or take care of myself?'

A local resident, stating that they are not happy despite the bonus deposited for the holiday, said: 'We are grateful for the bonus, but we have never been happy. Retirees have never been happy. Retirees are being driven into the ground. What will we do with the bonus? We will meet our needs a little bit, give holiday pocket money to the kids, this and that, and it's gone. Our salary used to be above the minimum wage, now it's below it.'

'I CANNOT BUY TWO QUARTER GOLD COINS WITH MY SALARY'

Another retiree, comparing the past to the present, said, 'If I take it, what will we do? We can't do anything. My first salary was 500 lira, I could buy 10 quarter gold coins in 2008, now we can't even buy two.'

'4,000 LIRA DOESN'T EVEN COVER TWO KILOS OF TEA'

Similarly, another retiree pointed out the loss of value of the holiday bonus, saying, 'What will 4,000 lira do? It doesn't even cover two kilos of tea. When the bonus was first deposited, it was 1,000 lira; now it's not even a third of a sacrificial animal, it wouldn't even be half. I liked a sacrificial animal, the man says "it will weigh over 80 kilos." It's close to 40,000 lira, twice my salary. With 4,000 lira, we can only buy sugar. I have 9 grandchildren, which one should I give it to?'

News Source: 12punto