Short-time pay appeals in Turkey reach 2.7 million: Minister

ISTANBUL

Some 232,000 Turkish businesses affected by the coronavirus economic fallout have made applications to the government for short-time working payments to their 2.7 million employees between March 30 and April 16, according to Family, Labor and Social Services Minister Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk.

“The number of firms whose applications are accepted is 1.18 million. Thus, the rate of acceptance is around 44 percent. The evaluation process is continuing. We will conclude them soon,” she told a private broadcaster.

More than half of the applicant firms have less than four employees, she added, saying that the ratio of firms with fewer than 10 employees is around 79 percent. 

When the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) approves the applications made by businesses which have suspended or decreased operations due to the pandemic, 60 percent of the monthly gross salaries of their employees is being paid from the unemployment insurance fund for three months. With this short-time employment allowance, the government is making make direct transfers - within the ranges of 1,752 Turkish Liras ($260) to 4,381 liras ($650) - to employees’ bank accounts.

To become eligible for the short-time working scheme, an employee should have worked for at least 60 days in that firm and have paid 450 days of premiums for the last three years.

Separately, the Turkish Parliament this week approved a bill to ban layoffs for three months and to make unemployment benefits of 1,100 liras ($159) to employees forced to take unpaid leave.