‘Turkey suffers the biggest loss of employment in its history’

* Photos: Anadolu Agency (AA), HDP Press Office

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Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) Chair Arzu Çerkezoğlu, Secretary General Adnan Serdaroğlu and Vice Chair Remzi Çalışkan visited the Republican People's Party (CHP) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the capital Ankara yesterday (January 27).

In their talks with the party representatives, the confederation expressed its request for the minimum wage being exempted from tax cuts.

CLICK - Minimum wage in Turkey in 2021: 2,825 lira

The fourth and final meeting of the Minimum Wage Determination Commission was held on December 28, 2020. The commission determined the net and gross minimum wages for 2021. Accordingly, the gross minimum wage now stands at 3,577.50 Turkish Lira (approx. 477 USD) and the net wage stands at 2,825.90 lira (approx. 377 USD).

'It should be exempted from taxes'

The DİSK delegation first met with CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Vice Chair Faik Öztrak and MPs Ayhan Barut and Bekir Başevirgen. DİSK Chair Çerkezoğlu addressed the reporters after the closed-door meeting.

Çerkezoğlu underlined that the minimum wage for 2021 was determined amid the destruction brought about by the economic crisis and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. She noted that as a result of the price increases in early 2021, the minimum wage has seriously declined, adding that "this wage which does not suffice for workers to make ends meet with their families can be changed and increased."

CLICK - 'Minimum wage has become an average wage in Turkey'

Çerkezoğlu said that the minimum wage determined by the Minimum Wage Determination Commission can be changed by legal amendments to be introduced by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). Accordingly, Çerkezoğlu called on the Parliament to "introduce legal amendments to ensure that the minimum wage is totally exempt from taxes and the cuts made by the Social Security Institution (SGK) are afforded by the state."

Çerkezoğlu said, "The minimum wage must be totally exempted from taxes and the SGK cuts must be met by the Treasury throughout the pandemic," adding that, by introducing these legal amendments, the determined minimum wage could be increased by nearly 750 lira.

In response to a question about the meeting with the CHP, Çerkezoğlu said that Kılıçdaroğlu expressed his party's readiness to give the necessary support and do the necessary work and at the Parliament.

'Unemployment, extreme impoverishment...'

The DİSK delegation then met HDP Co-Chairs Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar and Vice Co-Chairs Şaziye Köse and Garo Paylan.

While workers' problems, the deepening economic crisis and the minimum wage were the issues on the meeting's agenda, Çerkezoğlu said:

"Turkey has been suffering the biggest loss of jobs and employment in its history. Unemployment, especially that of women and young people, has become a threat to the country's future. There is an extreme impoverishment. Incomes and purchasing power have dropped significantly."

Reiterating her call to the political parties, Çerkezoğlu once again noted that minimum wage could be increased by exempting it from taxes.

Sancar: Crisis is only for workers

HDP Co-Chair Sancar also briefly said:

"Everyone says that the economic crisis has deepened with the pandemic, but we think that the definition of economic crisis is deficient. In fact, there is a crisis for laborers. We cannot say that it has any negative effect on the pro-government people or the palace. There is a small group of capitalists who have incrementally increased their wealth in this process.

"We know that the minimum wage is a wage at the starvation level. There has already been a very widespread impoverishment and the unemployment numbers are much higher than officially announced.

"We recommended 4,000 lira for the minimum wage and expressed this in our meetings with social groups. But we, of course, support your recommendation." (DŞ/SD)