DİSK statement on the new minimum wage

Arzu Çerkezoğlu, Chairman of the Confederation of Turkish Revolutionary Trade Unions (DİSK), made a statement on behalf of the DİSK Board of Directors on the minimum wage that will come into effect from the second half of 2023.

The amount of the minimum wage that will apply as of the second semester of 2023 has been determined today. In July 2023, the minimum wage was increased by TL 2,896 and rose to TL 11,402. This resulted in a 34 percent increase in the minimum wage.

Making a statement on behalf of the DİSK Board of Directors regarding the new minimum wage, President Arzu Çerkezoğlu stated that the poverty line cannot be exceeded even if there are two minimum wages per house.

‘THE THEME OF THE MILLIONS’

The highlights of Çerkezoğlu’s statement were as follows:

“In determining the minimum wage, it has been ignored that the minimum wage is not the lowest wage in our country, but rather has become the average wage. Minimum wage coverage, which is around 4 percent in EU countries, is around 50 percent in our country. The minimum wage is a matter of millions. This fact was not taken into account when determining the minimum wage.

When determining the minimum wage, the worker’s living conditions were not taken into account. The poverty line announced by the United Metal-İş Class Research Center (BISAM) for the period of May 2023 is based on 35 thousand TL. The determined minimum wage is 67.3 percent below the poverty line. In other words, even if two minimum wages are included in a home, the poverty line is not exceeded.

SCISSORS BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC WORKERS

When determining the minimum wage, international standards that establish that the worker must not only be able to earn a living, but also with his family, were not taken into account.

On the other hand, the gap between workers in the public and private sectors continues. We would like to say once again that the different minimum wages in the public and private sectors are against the principle of equality.