It seems that at this rate, most of the minimum wage earners and retirees will not be able to escape from poverty. If you are asked where you got it from, let me explain briefly. The Minimum Wage Commission held its second meeting on Monday, and in the statement made after the meeting, it was said that the wage was not on the table. However, after a short meeting of the commission on Tuesday, the new minimum wage was announced as 11 thousand 402 liras.
As such, it would not be wrong to say that if the new minimum wage figure in the commission was not brought to the agenda in the first two meetings, the negotiations continued outside the meetings.
In short, if the minimum wage figure, which is not on the agenda in the commission, is discussed, discussed, agreed and announced outside the commission meeting, then is there any point in establishing a commission and holding meetings? This aspect of the issue is not actually the main item on the agenda. Because there is an announced number.
The figure announced by Türk-İş on May 30 is 10 thousand 360 liras, and the hunger limit announced by United Kamu-İş is 11.360 liras.
The poverty line is 33 thousand 750 liras according to Türk-İş and 31 thousand 152 liras according to United Kamu-İş.
In short, the last announced minimum wage figure is almost the same as the hunger limit of Türk-İş. It is behind the figure announced by United Kamu-Is. As such, the announced figure does not save the minimum wage earners from starvation. As such, it seems as if those with low and fixed incomes are combined especially in the figure of the hunger limit. There is no point in asking where the welfare share of this figure is.
In the meantime, it seems that the new minimum wage is not enough to draw the workers above the hunger line. In our country, those with narrow and fixed incomes are united at the poverty line. I think this point needs to be answered and it should be on the agenda.
That question is, isn't it the primary duty of those who will govern us to save us from being sentenced to a starvation-line income? If the wages of those with low and fixed incomes will either remain below the hunger limit despite all wage increases, or if the announced minimum wage falls below the hunger limit before the workers receive it, we have to see that this road is a dead end.
Because, aside from waiting for the employees to find comfort, they seem to be condemned to a minimum wage that is almost at the border of starvation. Although the approach that opportunities do not allow for more, especially when considering employees, the situation of employers should be considered is correct and it goes without saying that the current economic system is one that collects from low incomes and transfers them to the rich.
In fact, the announced minimum wage is an interim increase, but the rapid increase in prices has necessitated an interim hike in recent years. Because at this point, the breathing of those with low and fixed incomes depends on stopping price increases rather than wage increases.
Because there is no rule that price increases follow. In short, the market has been taken over by some forces, and for them it is not clear how prices will increase. As such, it has been sentenced to a complete vicious circle. From this, life becomes unbearable for all segments and especially the working segment. With the perception operations created, especially narrow incomes are managed by being blinded.
In order to rein in inflation, it is important to increase production first and to maintain foreign trade balance by increasing exports as a result.
It would be wrong to say that the economists running the country do not know these issues. In this respect, it depends on knowing what to solve and putting what is known into practice, rather than knowing the truth about an issue.
However, the AK Party continues to make contradictory statements in practice despite its 20-year rule of power, in a way they are trying to put the blame on themselves and different circles. Unfortunately, society also prefers to surrender to these perception operations.