Erdoğan hikes state worker wages by 45 pct 

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 9 announced a 45 percent increase in wages of public workers, ahead of the key May 14 elections.

“We are increasing wages by 45 percent, including the welfare share. Thus, we are raising the lowest public worker wage to TL 15,000,” Erdoğan said at the 2023 Public Collective Labor Agreement Signing Ceremony.

“With this protocol, we determine the framework of the wages that approximately 700,000 of our brothers will receive in the 2023-2024 period,” he said.

The government will continue to work on minimum wage raises for civil servants and hiking pensions, he said.

“In July, we have preparations based on the inflation difference and welfare share,” Erdoğan said and stressed that citizens would not be allowed to “get crushed” under inflation.

“We will continue to take these steps despite the burden of more than $100 billion that the earthquake disaster put on our economy. Now, thank God, Türkiye has reached the strength and size that can handle all these burdens,” Erdoğan stated.

“We will also make new regulations that will increase the income level of all our citizens against the problems caused by inflation and the cost of living,” he said.

“We will not oppress anyone with inflation, and so far we have not. We will not put anyone back from what they see, on the contrary, we will always carry it forward,” Erdoğan stated.

In January, the government revised upward the increase in wages for active and retired civil servants to 30 percent for the first half of 2023.