Union confederation expresses concerns over Turkey's ongoing minimum wage talks

Photo: DİSK

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Following the second meeting of the Minimum Wage Determination Committee today (June 19) to establish the minimum wage for the second half of the year, the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) conducted a press conference to express their concerns and suggestions.

The confederation, which is not part of the committee, strongly criticized the government and employers for their unilateral determination of the minimum wage.

DİSK's President, Arzu Çerkezoğlu, argued that millions of workers currently earn wages that hover around or even fall below the minimum wage threshold. Therefore, the unionist underscored that with determining the minimum wage, the commission actually determines the average wage.

''While the average rate of those working with a wage around the minimum wage is 4% in EU countries, this rate is around 50 percent in Turkey," Çerkezoğlu asserts, further highlighting the difficulties workers face in coping with the burden of high inflation and that income inequality has reached unprecedented levels.

Double- and triple-digit inflation

In recent years, the county's economy has been ravaged by heavy double- and triple-digit inflation and a rapidly depreciating currency, reaching new record lows repeatedly in recent weeks, resulting in the current minimum wage being barely 360 dollars.

"The frequent statements that 'we did not crush the minimum wage earner by inflation' with reference to the suppressed inflation figures of Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) are far from the truth,'' Çerkezoğlu expressed, adding that the country's official statistical institute has completely lost its credibility.

Turkey's official inflation rate is often doubted as TurkStat hasn't disclosed its inflation basket for two years, despite a court ruling won by DİSK against this data suspension. Furthermore, the unionist emphasized that the recent state support for natural gas has 'artificially lowered inflation'.

The unofficial Inflation Research Group (ENAG) asserts that the official inflation claims are understated and believe inflation is probably two to three times higher.

Democratized determination process

Çerkezoğlu additionally stressed that the minimum wage determination process should be democratized, adding that other workers' confederations besides the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) should also be allowed to participate in the process.

In addition, DİSK demands the elimination of wage disparities between public and private sector employees as well as determining the minimum pension at the same level as the minimum wage. (HA/WM)