Özel urges interim wage hike in visits to unions

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has called on the government to implement an interim increase in the minimum wage in July.

Özel made the call after meetings on May 29 with the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Türkiye (DİSK) and the Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations (TİSK). His visits were part of a series of talks initiated to press for a mid-year pay raise.

The 30 percent hike granted at the start of the year, raising the minimum wage to 22,104 Turkish Liras (about $565), has already been eroded by the "monster of inflation," Özel said during his visit to DİSK in Ankara.

"Six out of every 10 workers receive the minimum wage or something close to it," Özel said. He contrasted the situation in Türkiye with Germany, where the minimum wage accounts for about 9 percent of total wages and is typically a "temporary stepping stone" for workers.

The CHP leader also accused the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) of underreporting inflation. "Incorrectly announced inflation steals olives from the table and ladles of soup from the pot," he said.

During his visit to TİSK, Özel said the concerns of employers would also be addressed. “We will announce a model that will secure both workers and employers,” he said, adding that his struggle includes protecting small business owners and SMEs.

Özel also urged workers to organize into unions, arguing that greater unionization helps lift workers beyond the minimum wage. "Let’s put politics aside and demand bread," he said.

He warned that failing to increase the minimum wage in July would amount to "government suicide."

The government implemented interim hikes in 2022 and 2023 to counter inflation, but it refrained from doing so last year.