CHP Deputy Chair Gamze Taşcıer reacts to 'minimum wage' issue

CHP Deputy Chair Gamze Taşcıer, regarding the minimum wage to be determined in the coming days, said: "This is not a raise. It is, in a sense, the cost of covering the inflation gap for the salary received by a wage earner whose income has eroded against inflation. Therefore, those who update the minimum wage due to the inflation gap should not present this as a favor. Workers and laborers are already earning an income that is almost below the hunger threshold."

CHP Deputy Chair and Ankara MP Taşcıer evaluated the agenda in Antalya while the CHP Parliamentary Group's 28th Term 1st Work and Evaluation Meeting was ongoing.

"THIS IS NOT A RAISE"

Regarding the words of President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who answered journalists' questions on the plane returning from his UAE visit, saying, "You know, the minimum wage increase is once a year. This business ends with a raise given once," Gamze Taşcıer stated the following:

"First of all, one must ask the government officials who make the decision: why was it determined once before, and why was there a need for it to be twice? Was it out of an intention for the worker to earn more money, or an understanding of 'let's give the worker more money,' or was it a necessity due to the poor management of the economy? If inflation has approached 3-digit numbers today, if purchasing power is eroding every day, and if the laborer cannot lead a humane life in return for their labor, then raising the minimum wage twice is not a choice, it is a necessity. Furthermore, let me express this: this is not a raise. It is, in a sense, the cost of covering the inflation gap for the salary received by a wage earner whose income has eroded against inflation. Therefore, those who update the minimum wage due to the inflation gap should not present this as a favor. Workers and laborers are already earning an income that is almost below the hunger threshold. For this reason, those who govern this country are still unaware of whether people will pay rent, lead a healthy life, or give pocket money to their children with this money. The most painful part of the matter is that this difference is decreasing every day...

"WE WILL EXPRESS VERY CLEARLY THAT THE MINIMUM WAGE IS NOT JUST A FIGURE"

December 11 will be the first meeting of the Minimum Wage Determination Commission. We are working on what the CHP's perspective is before that. However, we will express very clearly that the minimum wage is not just a figure. Whether it is 17 thousand 500 liras or 21 thousand 500 liras, it has no meaning. This will only be an indicator of whether it will erode against inflation in one month or three months. Whereas we want to ensure that the number of minimum wage earners is reduced, that everyone receives an equal share of this country's wealth, that unionization rights are provided, and that a minimum wage worthy of humanity is determined for all segments of minimum wage earners together with the ILO. We will explain how we will prevent this trouble and problem we are in—the fact that the Turkish Lira is losing value every day, and that the minimum wage being pulled above the hunger threshold with a raise is turning into a cat-and-mouse game—from being a management problem, that Turkey is not being managed well, and how we will prevent the cost of the economy not being managed well from being paid by laborers not receiving their rights."

"TURKEY HAS VERY DIFFERENT PROBLEMS"

Taşcıer made the following statement regarding the Social Security Institution (SGK) ending its support for not collecting co-payments for medicines in the earthquake zone:

"The Ministry of Labor and Social Security had issued a decision for the temporary non-collection of co-payments for patients receiving medicine from pharmacies following the earthquake. Now, it has been stated that these fees will be collected as of November 30. However, while the grievances and difficult conditions in the earthquake zone still continue, and people are still struggling to overcome the stress and trouble of losing their relatives, all their assets, and their entire past; if the SGK is left to the few pennies of co-payments that citizens living there will pay, then woe to the state of this country. We only reminded the Minister of Labor of the demand of the Turkish Pharmacists Association and our own demand to extend it for another six months. If Turkey has become so needy for the few pennies that citizens who will pay co-payments in those four or five provinces will pay, it means Turkey has very different problems. Let us call out to the Minister of Labor from here once again; the pain of the people living there is still fresh, their grievances continue, power outages continue, they have not returned to their normal lives. They still do not have homes to shelter in. For this reason, let us express that they should reconsider the decision to collect the co-payments from our citizens, for at least six months."

News Source: 12punto