Pensioners in Eskişehir demand a raise in front of the Social Security Institution: 92-year-old pensioner joins the protest with his cane

In Eskişehir, pensioners gathered in front of the Provincial Directorate of the Social Security Institution (SGK) to demand a raise in their pensions. During the protest, organized at the call of the Eskişehir Branch of the Revolutionary Pensioners' Union (DEV Emekli-Sen) affiliated with DİSK, it was emphasized that pensioners are struggling to meet their basic needs.

Ramazan Tekkalmaz, born in 1933, who attended the protest with his cane, described his financial hardship, saying, "This is not living, I am barely scraping by." Tekkalmaz stated that while he had faced difficulties in the past, he had never seen a situation like the one today.

In his statement to the ANKA reporter, Tekkalmaz said, "I was born in 1933. I am 96 years old. I have never seen such a day, I have never experienced anything like this." Stating that he is a father of five and put three of his children through university, Tekkalmaz explained that he is a Bağ-Kur pensioner and compared his current situation to his first pension payment.

“The first pension I received was 630 liras. I am a villager. With 630 liras back then, I could buy 6 sheep and 12 lambs. With the pension I receive today, I cannot even buy one sacrificial animal.”

Hatice Kılıç, the Eskişehir Branch President of DEV Emekli-Sen, who read the press statement, said that pensioners would defend their rights through organized struggle. Kılıç stated that pensioners have worked and paid premiums for years, and that the right to a pension is "not a favor, but the reward for their sweat."

Kılıç noted that millions of pensioners cannot make ends meet with the pensions they receive and are struggling to access food, rent, electricity, natural gas, and healthcare services. Saying, "We are not asking for charity. We are asking for our rights," Kılıç stated that they would not give up their demand for a flat-rate raise.

The statement called for the lowest pension to be increased to a level worthy of human dignity and for the implementation of social policies that guarantee the rights of pensioners to housing, nutrition, transportation, and healthcare.

News Source: 12punto