Journalists in Turkey struggle with wage erosion, unemployment

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There are about 12,000 unemployed journalists in Turkey and those who are employed face wage erosion, according to a report by the Turkish Journalists Association (TGC).

One of the most important problems of journalists is not being able to make contracts with their employers under the Press Labor Law, which causes significant losses of rights for them, said the association.

The most common contracts made between journalists and media outlets are indefinite term contracts and fixed-term contracts under the Labor Law and copyright contracts, it noted.

"A journalist working under a copyright contract is excluded from the Press Labor Law. The most important aspect of this is that their social security rights are restricted and they work without insurance.

"Also, the practice of dividing salaries as 'salary plus royalty' causes journalists to ... receive lower pensions when they retire."

Unlike journalists working under the Press Labor Law, those working under the Labor Law cannot get official press cards and actual service payment.

The lowest paid press workers are reporters, photojournalists and editors, noted the TGC.

According to kariyer.net, a prominent job site in Turkey, the highest monthly salary for a reporter was 8,410 lira and the lowest salary was 2,820 lira, the official minimum salary, in January 2021. The average salary of a reporter was 4,110 lira (One US dollar was worth about 7.4 Turkish lira at the time).

According to the official inflation rates, a reporter making 3,000 lira a month in January should make 4,560 lira in November to maintain their standard of living, said the TGC.

Interviews with journalists

Man (39): At the start of my career, I was earning four times the minimum wage despite only two years of experience. Now I've been working for 22 years and earn 1.5 times the minimum wage.

Woman (47): I'm a single mother. I've been a journalist for 28 years. My fixed monthly expenses are 3,800 lira. I have a son studying at university. My income, including my pension and salary, is 8,000 lira. I can't make a living due to the high foreign exchange rates and inflation.

Woman (33): I've been a reporter for seven years and my salary is 3,700 lira. I live with my family and the money I earn is even enough for my personal needs. Moreover, I'm expected to show superior performance. I would never work for this money if I didn't love my job.

Man (32): I've been a journalist for nine years and I'm single. I earn 5,500 lira and my salary hardly enough for me. I have no hope for the future. The reason I have been working for 10 years is my passion for my job.

Woman (28): I've been a newspaper reporter for six years. I got married one and a half years ago. Currently, my net salary is 3,800 lira. It is not possible for my salary to be sufficient under the conditions in İstanbul and of the current economic crisis. If my spouse didn't work, we definitely wouldn't be able to get by. (HA/VK)