Commission discusses minimum wage hike

ANKARA

A special commission tasked to determine an adequate hike in the minimum wage for more than 7 million workers held a second meeting on June 19.

The first meeting of the Minimum Wage Determination Commission took place on June 13.

Representatives from the government, labor union Türk-İş and the Turkish Confederation of Employers’ Association (TİSK) gathered for a second time in the capital Ankara.

The current net minimum wage is 8,506 Turkish Liras, and it costs an employer 11,750 liras, including social security premium and the company’s contribution to the unemployment insurance fund.

“We demand the minimum wage updated by taking the economic situation, rents and cost of living into account,” said Veli Solak from Türk-İş after the first meeting, noting that parties involved in the talks did not make any proposal as to what the new minimum wage should be.

The annual inflation came in at 39.7 percent in May, while consumer prices increased by 15.3 percent since the end of 2022, according to the latest data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

Previous Labor Minister Vedat Bilgin, who was not appointed to the new cabinet announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following the May elections, had suggested that the new minimum wage could be hiked to around $500.

The current net minimum wage is 8,506 Turkish Liras, and it costs an employer 11,750 liras, including companies’ contributions to social security premium and unemployment insurance fund.

Muhammet Bayram, an expert, noted that the wages of public sector workers were increased by 45 percent, and if this is set as an example, the minimum wage could be raised to around 11,500 liras to 12,300 liras.