EYT and Bilgin minimum wage increase statement

Vedat Bilgin, Minister of Labor and Social Security, at the broadcast of Habertürk which he attended last night.
He made statements on many topics, from EYT in particular, to regulation on contract workers, from farmworkers to academics to minimum wage.

Stating that priority was given to those who applied for the EYT from the earthquake region, Bilgin said he received the salary of about 1 million people. Bilgin added that EYT members experiencing wage delays are not at loss and will receive their accrued wages.

Bilgin made the following statements about EYT:

At EYT, we gave priority to those who applied in the earthquake zone. There the first applications were made. Now about 1 million people have received their first salary. There is no loss for those who don’t make it. Based on the qualifying days, the number of bonus days, and the number of refills, transactions are made every day. About 30 thousand people received pensions per month. We have now increased this figure to 120,130,000. Our SGK staff did a great preparation. They made the figure that went to 1 million. Those who arrive late do not worry, because they will receive it in accumulated form.

“THE EVERYONE WILL HAVE RECEIVED MY SALARY IN MAY”

There is no crowding at EYT. Your service combinations are performed by SSI. The file named ‘pending’ is being evaluated. It will be answered in a timely manner. These questions will be answered in May at the latest. We are heading towards 1 million. The total number of applications is around one million 700 thousand. Some of them lack the number of premium days, other conditions are not met. Other conditions are being considered. Highly standardized processes. They will be completed soon. We respond quickly.

“NO VICTIMS”

Under the new law, there is no grievance for those who enter. If you entered after 1 day, you will not be treated unfairly after 1 day. You start with a known law. The reason for suffering is: hindsight of the law. What is the average age on EYT? This is really a reform. The victimization has occurred due to the violation of the rule of law. The median age there was 49.9 years. Approximately EYT has reached the age of 50 years. For those under 50, of course. It can work up to 65. But it is something that could eliminate the problems of retiring at 34 or 45, the burden it would place on the pension fund. We also have a pension of approximately 3 employees at the lower limit. Before this reform, 2.3 employees had a pension. Now that number will drop to 1.9. There is a problem with the sustainability of the pension system. Türkiye will overcome this problem by creating employment. It will grow and pass. Türkiye has solved the problem by growing especially in the industry. We need to take this further.

WILL THE SUBCONTRACTOR WORKER HAVE A STAFF?

Bilgin, who also made statements about contract workers in the public sector, made the following statements:

We work on the work of the subcontractor. We study each topic with a study file. We went to close all the files. One of our files was outsourcing. There was an earthquake, we stopped working. We train temporary workers for the last session. I promised the hired workers. It is before us, we will do it as soon as we open the Assembly. I’m not talking about the selection. We will win the elections. Will it be me or will it be another friend.

WILL THE MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE?

We had to reorganize in July of last year. Prices destroyed the minimum wage. This year, we took a walk that no one expected.

Is 8,500 liras a high amount of money? No. We have determined it so that it does not fall below this. Let’s say you increase the minimum wage by 50 percent. Those who work above the minimum wage also ask their employers for an increase in the same rate. If it’s not 50 percent, it’s 25 percent. We are changing the entire wage system upwards with the minimum wage.

The minimum wage has a regulatory effect on other wages. We will consider it in July. I don’t want to give numbers right now. The minimum wage is maintained once a year. But due to inflation, we arrange it every 6 months. I think the real impact of 8,500 lira should be assessed in July.

RETIREE WEALTH SHARING AGREEMENT

In his remarks, Bilgin said that pensioners will be given a share of welfare, saying:

Every 6 months we make arrangements regarding the salaries of our employees, especially public employees and retirees. In July we will adjust the rates covering them all. We’re going to bring the bottom one up and the top one a little higher. We will do it legally in July. This time, we are differentiating social participation and arranging it in a way to differentiate the salaries of those who are above 7,500 liras. The number of buyers for about 7,500 lira is 9 million. We have 15 million retirees in total. Retirees who receive a salary greater than 7,500 TL will receive a social participation.

THE NEGOTIATION OF THE RISE OF PUBLIC WORKERS CONTINUES

Bilgin, who also referred to the public worker salary increase, where negotiations on base salary and percentage increase are ongoing, made the following statements:

Currently, our collective agreement for more than 700,000 public sector workers continues. We will make a proportional increase. Reduction of the minimum wage of workers to 12 thousand or 12 thousand 500. There is a figure that they demand. Collective agreements are made by the Unions of Public Employers. I’m the state representative there. They will meet today or tomorrow. We will sit down and make the final decision with our unions. The salary levels that our employees in the public sector will receive are extremely important. Public sector workers also lead the private sector. Public employees, that is, civil servants, are not negatively affected by this.

Along with social participation, we made a 30 percent increase for public employees. Now they have a raise in July. We will consider this again along with the wellness involvement. The work of officials is different, their social conditions are different. There are several items that are reflected in the daily salary of public servants.