Saadet Party Elazığ Provincial Organization organized a meeting program with retirees.
Saadet Party Elazığ Provincial Chairman Abdullah Akın, "Tüm Emek Der" Elazığ Branch Chairman Mehmet Kayabaş, NGO representatives and retirees attended the meeting.
Citizens speaking at the meeting expressed the problems they experienced as retirees and reacted to the injustice of salary increases.
Speaking at the meeting, Saadet Party Elazığ Provincial Chairman Abdullah Akın said, "Wherever we turn in our country, unfortunately, we see that there are serious problems in every sector and in every field. However, there is a problem that hurts all of us deeply, because we currently have 15 million retired brothers, brothers and sisters in Turkey. Unfortunately, we see that the purchasing power of our retirees has gradually decreased and their salaries have become insufficient. 9 million of our 15 million retirees receive a salary of 7 thousand 500 lira. When we look at what we can buy with 7,500 lira at this time, believe me, it is very difficult for a retired person who does not own a home to survive. 7 thousand 500 lira is the base price, that is, 9 million people receive a salary of 7 thousand 500 lira. This salary needs to be increased to at least 22-23 thousand so that it does not remain below the hunger line."
“80 PERCENT OF RETIREES RECEIVE A SALARY BELOW THE MINIMUM WAGE”
All Retirees Association (Tüm Emek-Der) Elazığ Branch President Mehmet Kayabaş said, "Unfortunately, 80 percent of retirees receive salaries below minimum wage. The increase announced by TUIK is applied to retirees, widows and orphans, who together with their families exceed 15 million and increase every year, making up a population of 35-40 million. In Turkey, where even basic food prices have increased by 100 percent, it is not possible for a retiree to make ends meet with a pension of 7,500 TL. The announced CPIs do not match the market or market prices. Therefore, the raises given to retirees do not match the realities of life. We want the additional payments given to our retirees to be increased to 10 percent. We demand that retirees be given the right to unionize, as in European countries, and that legal regulations be given urgently in this regard."
“YOU CANNOT BUY THE DOOR OF A HOUSE WITH A RETIREMENT BONUS”
Retired İbrahim Canpolat said, "I retired in 1999. When I retired, there was a 10-20 lira difference between the salaries of retired and working civil servants. We were getting a salary of 300-400 lira, and the employee was getting a salary of 350 lira. Now the lowest civil servant salary is almost 22 thousand. I also get a salary of 10 thousand 237 lira. There is a 100 percent difference. When I retired in 1999, I was buying a house in Elazığ with my bonus. Now, if a civil servant retires, he will receive 300-400 thousand liras. He can't buy the door of the house with that money."