DEM Party urges minimum wage to reach half of poverty line

ANKARA

The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Feb. 24 called for the minimum wage and the lowest pension to be set at no less than half of the poverty line, citing worsening economic hardship.

"While we speak from these platforms, we feel in our hearts how citizens, those who cannot make ends meet, are struggling to breathe... Hunger and poverty have become unmanageable,” DEM Party co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları said during the party’s weekly meeting in parliament.

She said while Türkiye’s population increased by 8.8 percent between 2015 and 2024, the number of people requiring assistance rose by more than 51 percent.

"I am calling on the [ruling] AKP government from here: The lowest pension and the minimum wage must be set to at least half of the poverty line," she said.

"As the opposition, we have proposals on this matter. You must listen to the opposition’s proposals. We must urgently put on the agenda a second increase in the minimum wage, civil servant salaries and pensions."

According to the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-İŞ), the hunger threshold for a four-person family stood at 43,415 Turkish Liras in January, while the poverty line was calculated at 105,000 liras.

Türkiye’s monthly minimum wage currently stands at 28,075 liras, while the lowest pension is set at 20,000 liras.