Budget talks at Parliament: HDP MPs protest for a higher minimum wage

* Photo: HDP

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The 2022 Budget talks of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security have begun at the Parliamentary Commission on Planning and Budgetary.

While Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Bilgin was entering the commission hall earlier today (November 5), the MPs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) staged a protest, holding banners that read, "Exempt the minimum wage from taxes; raise the net wage to 5 thousand."

Garo Paylan, the HDP Vice Co-Chair responsible for the Economy, addressed the MPs of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and said:

We want the net minimum wage to be 5 thousand liras and exempted from taxes. But these merciless people condemn our citizens to a wage which is even lower than the starvation line.

Paylan: Our people live in poverty

Paylan also took the floor during the budget talks that started with the HDP's protest. "This budget is the budget of palaces, extravagance, pro-government [people] and war. This is also the budget of those seeking after unearned income and interests," said Paylan.

According to Paylan, if the draft budget is passed by the Parliament in its current form, one lira of every 5 liras paid as taxes by citizens goes to interest. "Similarly, one lira of every 5 liras paid as taxes by citizens goes to the policies of war and tyranny," added Garo Paylan further.

"In this budget, one out of every 5 lira paid by citizens as taxes goes to extravagance, pro-government [people] and those seeking after unearned income," Paylan reiterated. "What is left? 2 liras. Our 84 million citizens, pensioners, workers, public laborers are trying to share the remaining 2 liras. Our people live in poverty as the budget preferences are not in favor of laborers, pensioners and young people," the MP underlined.

'Who will pay the bills? The rent?'

Referring to the "tea-bagel (simit) calculation" of President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Paylan said:

"Let's adapt it for today: Bagel is 2.5 liras, tea is 2.5 liras, which accounts for 5 liras. For a family of five, this means 25 liras. For three times a day, it means 75 liras. When you calculate it for a month, it is 2,250 liras. What is left behind from the minimum wage? 575 liras...

"I ask it in the President's words: Who will pay the rent? Who will pay the electricity bill? Who will pay 500 liras for the natural gas bill? Who will pay the phone bills? Who will give the child pocket money? This mentality of governance has condemned our citizens to a tea and bagel."

Underlining that "the minimum wage has become the average wage" in Turkey, Paylan stated: "We say that the minimum wage should be 5,000 liras and exempt from taxes. How will this happen? We will exempt it from taxes. We will persuade employers like this: If people do not have purchasing power, employers will be unable to sell their products.

"You will say, 'We will increase the minimum wage to 3,500 liras.' This is where the starvation line stands! The poverty line is over 10,000 liras. If 10,000 liras are not earned by a household, that household is poor." (HA/SD)

* As of 4 pm local time in Turkey today (November 5, 2021), 1 Turkish Lira (TRY) is 0.10 USD and 0.08 Euro.