Demand from retirees to “obtain a vacation bonus of 5,500 liras”

Kazım Ergün, President of the Turkish Pensioners Association (TÜED), demanded that the 1,100 lira bonus given to retirees during the Sacrifice and Ramadan holidays be increased to 5,500 lira, which is the lowest pension .

Recalling that holiday bonuses were increased by 10 percent to 1,100 lira in 2021, Ergün said:

“According to the study carried out by the Research Center of our association, the vacation bonus, which was half the minimum wage of 2,020 lire in 2018, corresponds to 12.93 percent of the minimum wage, which today is 8,000 506 lire. As can be seen, if we make a comparison on the minimum wage, if we consider the rate in 2018, if half of 8,506 liras were determined as a bonus, today’s amount would be 4,253 liras.

Millions of retirees are waiting

Emphasizing that retirement bonds have eroded significantly due to high inflation in recent years, Ergün said:

“All pensions have increased at the rate of inflation over the years. The lower pensions were adjusted accordingly. Despite these increases, the bonuses were maintained, except for the 10% increase in 2021. While in 2018 three-quarters of gold was bought for 1,000 liras, today not even a gram of gold can be bought for 1,100 liras. From the point of view of the social state, we want the lowest pension, 5,500 lire, to be given to all retirees as a vacation bonus.”

TÜED President Kazım Ergün stated that increasing the holiday bonus to 5,500 lira will breathe a sigh of relief to millions of retirees with the lowest monthly salary, saying: “Taking this step is a requirement of the welfare state, considering that the lowest the amount of the pension corresponds to approximately half of the current minimum wage. Millions of retirees are waiting for good news in this regard from the government, ”he said. (AA)