The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announced on Monday that the annual inflation measured by consumer prices index rose to 78.6% in June, a 20 year record high.
Producer prices rose in the same period of time by 138.3%, indicating that this mucher higher increase in producer prices is likely to be reflected on consumer prices in the coming months.
The highest inflation occurred in transportation, at a rate of 123.4%, and in food, at a rate of 93.9%.
TÜİK’s figures have been creating great controversy in Turkey as they are believed to be manipulated for both political purposes and in order for the administration to be able to offer lower wage increases since TÜİK data is taken as a benchmark for changes in the minimum wage, in the salaries of the public servants and adjustments in the pensions of millions of retired public and private sector workers.
ENAGrup, an independent research group consisting of academic and professional experts, recently announced annual inflation in consumer prices as 175.5%.
The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce announced the annual figure for consumer prices in Istanbul as 94.2%.
Members of the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DISK) staged a protest in front of TÜİK’s offices on Monday. The confederation’s chairwoman Arzu Çerkezoğlu said:
“The inflation experienced by workers and low-income earners is much higher than the figure announced by TÜİK. We know it and it is unacceptable. We have been saying this for many years, and let us say yet again: TÜİK is not doing its job right!”
