Turkey’s Minimum Wage Determination Commission after a series of meetings today decided upon the minimum wage.
Minister of Family, Labour and Social Services Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk announced the final decision of the commission. “The net minimum wage will be 2,825 lira 90 kurush (~377 USD) in 2021”, she said, adding that “the minimum wage has increased by 500 lira, or 21.56%, when compared to the previous year”.
The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) Chair Arzu Çerkezoğlu said: ‘’The minimum wage has been declared as insufficient for workers to live on with their families.’’
Unions reacted to the minimum wage announced today.
Hak-İş Chair Mahmut Arslan said, “The increase in the minimum wage is important, but it is far from meeting the minimum standard of living.”
Underlining that the minimum wage has now turned into the average wage in Turkey, DİSK Chair Arzu Çerkezoğlu, said, “The minimum wage that has been declared, is a wholly inadequate wage in terms of providing a basic living for workers and their families, which includes no share from the increase in national income and growth,” Çerkezoğlu added: “Turkey has a minimum wage that has been significantly deteriorating in terms of it’s purchasing power, that does not get its share from the national income and that is constantly deteriorating against the dollar, gold prices and inflation”
Making a press statement on behalf of the union members who came together in Kadıköy Square in İstanbul, Çerkezoğlu said that the determined figure was “Unacceptable!”.