The gap between the salaries of pensioners and employees widened
With the recent hikes, the gap between pensions and employee salaries has widened.
The stock exchange bill, which includes the relevant regulation that increases the lowest salary of civil servants to 22 thousand TL and increases pensions by 25 percent, was accepted in the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey the other day.
While the reactions regarding the increases continued, in which the frustration of retirees and public employees were disappointed, CHP Manisa MP Ahmet Vehbi Bakırlıoğlu revealed the gap between the minimum salary of the pensioner and the salary of the civil servant in your investigation.
Pointing out that during the 21 years of AKP rule, the pension has been greatly eroded every year compared to the minimum wage and the salary of civil servants, Bakırlıoğlu said: “In 2003, while the salary of a farmer 4 /B Bağ- Kur pensioner was 263 TL, he was receiving a minimum wage of 225 TL. In other words, the Bağ-Kur retiree received a salary 1.16 percent higher than the minimum wage. This rate has decreased to levels of 0.65 with the last hike in 2023,” he said.
EMPLOYED OFFICER EARN MORE THAN 12 THOUSAND TL
According to Bakırlıoğlu’s research, while the lowest salary for a civil servant was 488 TL in 2003, the lowest salary for a retired civil servant was 448 TL.
In 2023, the lowest salary of civil servants was TL 22,000, the lowest salary of retired civil servants was TL 9,876, and the ratio of retired civil servants to active civil servants fell to the level of 45%.
Bakırlıoğlu said: “In addition, the wage gap between retirees and SGK employees during the AKP rule is very large.”
“While an SGK retiree received a salary of 332 TL in 2003, he received a minimum salary of 225 TL at that time. At the time, SGK retirees were paid 1.47 percent more than a minimum wage, while in 2023 this rate dropped to 0.65.
Now, a retiree from SGK receives a salary of 7,500 TL, while a minimum wage earner receives 11,402 TL.
These rates show us that every year that the AKP is in power, the salary of the pensioner decreases to a large extent compared to the minimum wage and the salary of civil servants.”
WHEN THE SCISSORS OPENED, THE DREAM OF RETIREMENT FELL INTO THE WATER
In addition, Bakırlıoğlu underlined that retirees are gradually doomed to be crushed by inflation every year, saying, “Retirement is now a dream for civil servants. The widening of the difference between the salaries of civil servants while they are working and the salaries they will receive when they retire, dampened the hopes of civil servants who dream of retiring.
‘THEY HAVE TO WORK UNTIL THEY ARE 65 YEARS OLD’
“Officers will now have to work until they are 65, when they will be ex officio retired. With this cost of living, who can afford to have their monthly income cut in half? Bakirlıoğlu said:
“Both labor peace and social balance have been completely upset. The balance of the personnel regime was turned upside down. While non-appointed teachers, health professionals and university graduates wait for their appointment, retired public employees will have to postpone their retirement.
All the representatives of the public workers unions stated that it is not correct to give an increase in commission and instead a net increase of 8 thousand lira should be added to the base salary.
As CHP, we are of the same opinion. Our proposals were rejected by the votes of the AKP and MHP deputies. If our proposal had been accepted, the lowest salary for civil servants would have been 22,000 lira, and the lowest salary for retired civil servants would have increased to 19,000 lira. Thus, the gap between the salary received at work and the pension would have decreased”.