Vedat Işıkhan criticizes unions over minimum wage

Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan, in a statement to journalists in Mardin, criticized the role of unions in the process of determining the minimum wage. Işıkhan emphasized that the minimum wage is not determined by the government, but by the Minimum Wage Determination Commission.

Explaining the structure of the commission, Işıkhan stated that representatives of the public, workers, and employers come together to conduct negotiations while taking into account the country's economic conditions and inflation rates. "We are a government that attaches importance to social dialogue," Işıkhan said, noting that the parties should come to the table with concrete demands.

Işıkhan's remarks are as follows:

“We, as the government, do not determine the minimum wage. This is one of the most important issues you need to know.

In the Minimum Wage Determination Commission, 5 representatives from public institutions, 5 representatives from the worker side, and 5 representatives from the employer side come together. They naturally enter into negotiations by considering the country's economic conditions, inflation rates, and living conditions at that time. Representation is also important regarding the structure. The worker side needs to come to the table to protect the rights of the segment it represents. The employer side will, of course, bring the demands of the group it represents to the table. We are a government that attaches great importance to social dialogue at the table. We must be able to sit at a table with the parties and our stakeholders to determine the current situation, our needs, and the figures.

Of course, there have been statements from Türk-İş and Hak-İş, as you have heard. We do not know very well what the demands of the worker side are regarding the structure right now. In other words, when we ask what changes we should make in the commission, they do not come to us with anything concrete. For this reason, we are establishing a dialogue to understand their demands and requests.”

News Source: 12punto