Opposition slams Turkish gov’t over dramatically low minimum wage decision

Duvar English

The announcement of the 2025 minimum wage as 22,104 Turkish liras sparked significant criticism from numerous opposition parties and politicians toward the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.

CHP calls working class to ‘use power derived from production’

The main-opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Özgür Özel shared a post on X and stated, “Those who have been claiming victory in Syria for days have inflicted defeat on workers, imposing poverty wages. While engaging in false heroism over Syria and clouding the real agenda, they have once again robbed workers of their rights under that smokescreen.”

CHP, which had previously declared that any minimum wage below 30,000 lira would be unacceptable, announced that an extraordinary Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting would be held on Dec. 25 to address the minimum wage issue. 

Özel also highlighted that while the previous minimum wage eroded by at least 7,000 lira in value due to inflation, the raise was only 5,000 lira. 

The CHP leader concluded his statement by calling on the working class to “exercise their power derived from production.”

DEM: ‘Wage of destitution and hunger’

Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları, in a statement on her social media account, described the minimum wage as “the wage of destitution and hunger.” 

Hatimoğulları said, “This wage does not include the people. Workers are not accounted for,” and reminded that the poverty threshold has already exceeded 70,000 liras. 

Referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s previous statements, she added, “Weren’t you the one who said you wouldn’t let the people fall victim to inflation? Can’t you keep your word even for one day? Years ago, Erdoğan once said, ‘Who will pay the rent? Who will pay for electricity and water? This oppressive administration denies even a cup of tea and a simit to this noble nation.’ Let today’s Erdoğan respond to the Erdoğan of those times, as the determined minimum wage doesn’t even cover rent.”

İYİ Party

Nationalist opposition Good (İYİ) Party leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu responded to President Erdoğan’s announcement of the minimum wage by quoting his post on X and stating, “From the palace window, the people’s table cannot be seen!”

YRP

Fatih Erbakan, leader of the far-right Islamist New Welfare Party (YRP) which joined the general elections in alliance with the AKP, continued his recent criticisms against the government using the minimum wage decision as well. 

In a social media post, he stated, “The entire burden of the government’s failure in the economy is being placed on the oppressed, low-income millions, retirees, and fixed-wage workers. While those in power enjoy their privileges for now, the oppressed will undoubtedly hold this indifferent mindset accountable at the ballot box!”

Erbakan, who had also supported Erdoğan in the presidential elections, further added, “‘The cry of the oppressed brings down even the mighty,’ and I call on the government to promptly rectify this mistake.”

DEVA Party

Ali Babacan, leader of the DEVA Party and a former AKP member who has recently aligned himself with rhetoric supportive of the AKP, also reacted to Erdoğan’s announcement of the minimum wage. 

Quoting Erdoğan’s statement, Babacan remarked, “Mr. Erdoğan, you increased the taxes collected from the public by 46% in the 2025 budget. While the ink on the budget (decision) is barely dry, raising the minimum wage by only 30% is a violation of justice. You cannot prosper an economy by taking the prayers of the impoverished in vain.”

Future Party

Another former AKP member and prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, the leader of the Future Party, shared that setting minimum wage equals the hunger threshold is unacceptable “in a society where the minimum wage is considered the average wage.”

Felicity Party

Islamist opposition Felicity Party’s Istanbul deputy Bülent Kaya, referring to President Erdoğan’s statement on 2025 budget, “I want to remind you that the 2025 budget is the ‘people’s budget’ with these figures,” said, “Is this the figure you wanted to remind us with? 22,104 liras.”

Labor 

Labor Party (EMEP) lawmaker Sevda Karaca said that not workers but business associations, industrial chambers, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), international rating agencies, and all capitalist circles got what they wanted. 

She stated, “The ‘Century of Turkey’ tale is imposing the reality of a century of misery on workers.”

Previously, Jim Walsh, IMF’s mission chief for Turkey, stated that the country should avoid repeating the inflationary impact of its last minimum wage hike.

Unions

The Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DİSK) and the Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions (KESK) criticized the announced amount after the final meeting of the Minimum Wage Determination Commission held yesterday.

DİSK stated in a post on their social media account, “The government and capitalists once again unilaterally determined the minimum wage.”

The union added, “This minimum wage, which was announced in a hasty meeting where even workers’ representation was absent, is invalid. The working class will organize and, through unionization, will push back against this imposition of misery.”

Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş), who sit at the table with the government on behalf of the workers in the minimum wage negotiations for 2025, did not attend the meeting held on Dec. 24. The confederation said the commission was called to meet on the evening of Dec. 24, thus they “decided not to attend the meeting organized without any information on the minimum wage proposal.”

KESK, in its statement, noted that the increase, even according to the official inflation rate, which “eats up” at least half of the real inflation experienced in the markets, shops, and kitchens, was still below 2,496 Turkish liras.

“What remains permanent is the struggle for a wage that allows all workers and employees to live with dignity in conditions where the wave of hikes in the prices continues and slavery for labor is imposed,” the union said.