The Minimum Wage Initiative gathered in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security as the Minimum Wage Determination Commission convened, calling for the minimum wage to be lifted above the hunger threshold and raised to a livable level.
The demonstration, supported by numerous political parties and labor organizations, protested the government’s economic policies.
Fatin Kanat, Ankara Co-Chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), drew attention to the decision by the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TURK-IŞ) not to attend the commission meeting, saying that only government and employer representatives were left at the table.
Kanat said that nearly half of all workers in Turkey earn the minimum wage, adding that the current wage has “turned into an average figure that drags down all incomes.”
Kanat said that the low inflation figures announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) do not reflect the real cost of living, stressing that data from the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) and the TURK-IŞ point to much sharper increases in food prices. He criticized the continual upward revision of inflation projections for 2025, saying this was “aimed at suppressing wage increases for workers.”
Kanat stated their goals and line of struggle are clear and said: “The minimum wage must be based on the livelihood of a worker’s family and raised to a level that upholds human dignity. It should be determined in a way that allows it to be updated four times a year, based on national income and real inflation. As workers, retirees, and all segments of society in this country who are being ignored, we will together change this course that equalizes us in poverty.”
In speeches delivered on behalf of the Initiative, speakers said that the current minimum wage policy condemns workers to hunger and renewed the call for a joint struggle to build a more just economic order.